Best Friends
by tallshadow72
Summary: Nico takes a wrong turn in the Labyrinth. Next thing he knows, he's attending a school called Hogwarts and he's best friends with a girl named Hermione Granger. (Or, a Nico-at-Hogwarts AU where Nico starts in first year and isn't on any sort of mission.)
1. Nico Takes a Wrong Turn

**A/N: Hello! I know that demigods (particularly Nico) attending Hogwarts is an overused plotline, but I've done my best to make my version unique. This is set during _Philosopher's Stone_ and between _Battle of the Labyrinth_ and _The Last Olympian_ , so I hope that's a good start. Also, I personally find it very irritating how many fics like this end up abandoned mid-year, so I have written the entire AU of _Philosopher's Stone_ before posting this. I promise you, this fic will _not_ be abandoned.**

 **I am aware that that PJO and HP are not canonically concurrent, but for the purposes of this fic, _Philosopher's Stone_ is set from 2007-2008. No HP characters are demigods, nor are any of them aware that Greek myths are real.**

 **Just to be clear: Nico is 100% gay in this fic. He and Hermione will _not_ be a couple.**

 **(Actually, this first chapter is set about halfway through _Battle of the Labyrinth_. The rest of the fic will be between BotL and TLO.)**

 **I do not own either _Harry Potter_ or _Percy Jackson and the Olympians._**

 **And last but not least...Merry Christmas! On with the fic!**

* * *

It was not an uncommon sight for a wide-eyed eleven-year-old child in Muggle clothing to enter the Leaky Cauldron during the summer. However, it _was_ an uncommon sight for said child to be carrying a black sword—and for the child to enter from the cellar.

"Hey, you!" called Tom, the bartender. "What were you doing in my cellar?"

"Hiding from telekhines," the boy replied in an American accent, his eyes darting around the room. "Where am I?"

"You don't know the Leaky Cauldron, boy?" Tom asked.

"Never heard of it. Am I in England?"

"You don't know what country you're in?" a nearby witch asked skeptically.

The boy shrugged. "I've made a few accidental trips to China before."

The entire pub was staring at the boy now. He shrank slightly under the scrutiny. After a few moments, Tom sighed. "Where are your parents?"

"Dead."

Tom grimaced, then made a decision. "You know what? Have a room for the night, on me. I've got to send an owl. What's your name, boy?"

The boy narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Nico di Angelo."

"Right then. I'm Tom. Come with me, Mr. di Angelo." Tom led Nico upstairs. Nico kept a tight grip on his sword, looking as if he expected to be attacked. At room 11, Tom opened the door and gestured for Nico to go inside. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll have someone send up dinner for you later."

"Thank you," Nico said stiffly. As soon as Tom was out of the room, Nico slammed the door.

Sighing again, Tom made his way to his private study and pulled out a quill and parchment.

 _Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

 _An odd boy named Nico di Angelo has just turned up in my pub. He dresses like a Muggle and has an American accent, but I've little doubt that he's a wizard. The boy claims he has no parents and seems to be roaming the world on his own. I couldn't bring myself to throw him out. Any advice or aid would be welcome._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Tom_

* * *

Nico seriously considered shadow-traveling out of the room the minute Tom was gone, but he was tired. He'd killed at least a dozen telekhines before admitting to himself that he was overwhelmed and making a tactical retreat. He'd barreled through the first Labyrinth exit he found, apparently in the cellar of this "Leaky Cauldron".

Nico collapsed onto the bed and rubbed his eyes, thinking back to the last time he'd seen his sister. Bianca wanted him to let go of his anger toward Percy. But she didn't even know the full reason why Nico was so angry. He wanted to hate Percy for what had happened to Bianca, and yet Percy was so heroic…so _handsome_ …

No. He couldn't think like that. He _wouldn't_.

Bianca wanted him to smooth things over with Percy. So he was going to honor his sister's wishes and find the aggravatingly amazing son of Poseidon and make amends. As soon as he'd had a good night's sleep.

* * *

Nico was woken by an owl tapping at his window. He blinked a few times, wondering if he was really awake yet. Then he remembered what Tom had said about "sending an owl", and noticed the letter clutched in the owl's claws. Nico cautiously opened the window and took the letter. It was written in cursive, which was murder on his dyslexia, but eventually he figured out that it was offering him a place at a school for magic. Ridiculous. He was a child of Hades, not Hecate.

But…it would be good to have somewhere to stay that wasn't camp or his father's palace. Somewhere people didn't know what he was, somewhere he wasn't treated like dirt or weeds (Persephone was _not_ a fun stepmother). And besides, maybe he would discover some hidden talent for magic.

His mind made up, Nico was ready to reply when he realized he didn't have a pen. He went downstairs and asked Tom, only for Tom to offer him a quill and an inkwell. After double checking that the Labyrinth hadn't sent him back in time (hey, he'd once been sent _forward_ in time, anything was possible), Nico crafted an acceptance letter and sent it off with the owl, who looked quite relieved to get away from him.

That done, Nico turned his attention to the list of supplies. It was much longer than the letter, and equally hard to read. Nico gave up and decided to go back downstairs and find someone to read it for him. He almost crashed into a severe-looking witch in emerald green robes. The witch was accompanied by a middle-aged couple and a bushy-haired girl about Nico's age, all in normal clothing.

"Sorry," Nico mumbled.

The witch gave him an appraising look. "Are you the young Mr. di Angelo that Tom wrote about?"

"Uh…yes?"

The witch turned to the couple. "Would it be all right if Mr. di Angelo joins us? He is new to Hogwarts as well."

Nico choked. " _Hogwarts?_ I thought I misread that!"

"No, you read correctly," the witch replied. "You have been offered a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and I presume you are also in need of supplies."

"Yes," Nico admitted. "I was just looking for someone to ask about that."

"It's all right, he can join us," the man spoke up. His wife nodded agreement.

"Nico di Angelo, this is Hermione Granger," the witch said, indicating the girl. "Hermione Granger, Nico di Angelo. And I am Minerva McGonagall, professor of Transfiguration and deputy headmistress of Hogwarts."

"Nice to meet you," Nico said politely.

"Nice to meet you too," Hermione said with a smile. Then she frowned. "Why do you have a _sword_?"

Her parents looked bewildered. "Sword? What are you talking about? What sword?"

"It's a special sword," Nico answered. "Most people can't see it. And you'd carry one too if everything and its ugly cousins wanted to kill you."

"Want to kill you?" Hermione repeated blankly. "Why would someone want to kill you?"

"I have the opposite of natural charm."

"Me too," Hermione said somewhat sadly. "My classmates say I'm insufferable. They don't even try to say it behind my back. But no one's ever tried to _kill_ me."

"Consider yourself lucky," Nico said grumpily as they followed Professor McGonagall into the courtyard behind the pub.

"You sound American," Hermione noted. "What brings you to England?"

"I got lost."

"You…got lost and ended up on another continent?" Hermione's mother asked skeptically.

"Still not as bad as the times I ended up in China."

"How did you end up in _China_?" Hermione demanded, sounding fascinated.

"Long story," Nico said irritably. If he'd known that this new school would come with so many personal questions, he might not have said yes.

Hermione looked ready to say more, but at that moment Professor McGonagall took out a wooden stick and tapped a brick near a trash can. An archway appeared in the wall, leading onto the most bizarre street Nico had ever seen (and he'd seen some very bizarre things). There were shops selling all manner of strange merchandise—cauldrons, racing brooms, owls, potion ingredients, and for some reason an ice cream shop.

Hermione and her parents seemed just as impressed as Nico was. They looked around, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. Then Hermione spotted a bookstore and practically bounced with excitement. "Ooh, are we going there?"

"First we will go to Gringotts, the wizarding bank," Professor McGonagall replied. "Wizards use different currency from Muggles, so you will need to change your money."

"What's a Muggle?" Nico wondered.

"Someone without magic," Professor McGonagall explained.

"Are you from a family without magic too?" Hermione asked.

Nico hesitated before answering. "I don't know. My parents are dead and I don't remember them."

"Oh. I'm so sorry," Hermione said sympathetically.

Nico started as he realized something. "Uh, Professor? I'm not sure I have enough money to cover everything."

"Not to worry," Professor McGonagall assured. "Hogwarts has a fund for students with financial difficulties."

Nico scowled. He didn't want to be a charity case. But he supposed it was better than grave robbing, which was the source of most of his funds. Honestly, it's not like the dead minded. He should know. He'd asked a few ghosts just to be sure.

Gringotts turned out to be the large marble building that towered over the shops. It had burnished bronze doors, guarded by short humanoid creatures in scarlet-and-gold uniforms.

"What are those?" Nico asked suspiciously. As a demigod, he'd learned to mistrust anything that wasn't human. And some humans as well.

"Those are goblins," Professor McGonagall explained. "It's best to be polite with them."

Nico filed the information away in his mind as they passed through the bronze doors. There was a second set behind them, this time silver with words engraved on them. Nico didn't bother trying to read the inscription, though Hermione read it with interest.

Past the doors, they entered a large marble hall. About a hundred goblins manned (goblinned?) a long counter. Professor McGonagall led them up to a goblin who currently had no customers. "Good day, Gornuk," she said crisply. "We'll be needing—"

"Ah, Mr. di Angelo," Gornuk interrupted, peering over the counter at Nico. "Your father told us you'd be coming."

"My father told you about me?" Nico repeated, surprised.

Hermione shot him a look of confusion. "I thought you said your parents are dead."

"That's what I've been told," Nico replied irritably. Technically, it was true—the lawyer who'd taken him and Bianca out of the Lotus Hotel had told them that they were orphans.

Gornuk cleared his throat. "He informed us that you would be needing access to Vault 13. Ragnuk!" Another goblin came through a nearby doorway. "Take Mr. di Angelo to his father's vault."

"Right this way, Mr. di Angelo," Ragnuk said, picking up a bag of metal tools and indicating the doorway he'd just come through.

Nico glanced nervously at the Grangers and Professor McGonagall. Professor McGonagall smiled reassuringly. "We'll wait for you."

Nico swallowed nervously. "Okay." He followed the goblin, tightly gripping his sword. Ragnuk led him into a stone passageway lit by torches. It sloped steeply downwards and there were small railway tracks on the floor. Ragnuk whistled and a small cart came hurtling up to them. They climbed in and then the cart took off again at breakneck speed. Nico felt slightly better now that he was underground, but he didn't entirely trust the goblin.

The cart finally stopped deep underground. A dragon was chained to the ground in front of them. The dragon looked pale and ill, as if it hadn't seen the light of day in decades. The dragon turned and snarled at them. Nico instantly drew his sword. "You led me into a trap!" he exclaimed angrily, not taking his eyes off the dragon.

"Not to worry, Mr. di Angelo, the dragon is part of our defenses," Ragnuk assured. He opened his bag, took out a metal tool and began shaking it. It made a loud, ringing noise like numerous hammers on anvils. The dragon retreated, trembling. Nico now saw that there were several vaults behind it. Ragnuk led him up to the vault labeled "13" and put his palm to the door.

The door melted away. Nico reluctantly sheathed his sword and looked inside. His jaw dropped. The vault was massive, containing piles and piles of gold, silver and bronze coins. One of the walls was lined with Stygian Iron weapons. There was a mound of various gems in a far corner.

Ragnuk handed Nico a bag. He filled it with coins, then took another look around the vault. His eyes fell on a skull-shaped silver ring hanging on a hook by the Stygian Iron weapons. On a hunch, Nico picked it up and put it on his finger. He twisted it around so that the skull faced his palm, and the ring suddenly transformed into another Stygian Iron sword identical to the one he currently carried. He twisted the new sword in his grip and it turned back into a ring. Nico decided to leave his old sword with the other weapons. If clear-sightedness was common among wizards, it would be best to use a concealable weapon.

* * *

"Where's your sword?" Hermione asked when he returned to the main hall.

"Left it in the vault," Nico shrugged. "If I'm a wizard, I'm hardly going to need a sword, am I?"

"That may be for the best," Professor McGonagall interjected. "Students are not permitted to carry swords at Hogwarts. Now, let's move along. I don't have all day."

"Can we get the books now?" Hermione asked, bouncing excitedly again.

"I don't see why not," Professor McGonagall replied, leading them back out onto the street.

Hermione turned to Nico. "What was the vault like?"

"Big," Nico replied. He hesitated, then decided to play up the clueless orphan story. "And full. Apparently Dad is insanely wealthy. Don't know why he waited until now to share it out." Nico scowled for full effect.

"Wow. I wonder who he is," Hermione said thoughtfully. "He has a vault at Gringotts, so he's probably English…or at least British…"

"I don't care who he is," Nico interrupted. "He can't buy my affection."

"But aren't you curious?" Hermione demanded, eyes wide.

"In my experience, investigating mysteries is a good way to get attacked."

Hermione looked thoughtful for a few moments, then she spoke again. "If your parents are dead—or mysteriously absent—then who do you live with?"

"No one. I look after myself."

Hermione gasped. "Doesn't America have an organization that finds homes for orphans?"

Nico shrugged. "Maybe. I make an effort to avoid adults, usually."

Hermione shook her head, staring at him like he was the most fascinating thing she'd ever seen. "And you've actually survived on your own all this time?"

"Obviously."

At that moment, they arrived at the bookstore. Hermione looked entranced. "Can we look around?" she begged. "Just for a little bit?"

"Very well," Professor McGonagall relented.

Hermione grabbed her mother's hand and tugged her over to a section labeled "Hsotryi". Upon closer inspection, Nico realized that it actually read "History". He wandered away, wondering if there was a section of books in Ancient Greek. As it turned out, there was, but the only textbooks with Ancient Greek translations were _A History of Magic_ , _Magical Theory_ and _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_. Nico decided to buy the English versions of these books as well, just for appearances' sake.

When he met up with Professor McGonagall and the Grangers, Hermione's father was staggering under the weight of a massive pile of books. Clearly, Hermione had bought more than just the required textbooks. Nico raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you like reading."

"Yes," Hermione confirmed, slightly pink. "Do you?"

"I'm dyslexic, so…not really."

"You're dyslexic?" Hermione gasped. "That's so terrible! If you like, I can help you with reading assignments."

"Uh…thanks," Nico said reluctantly. He hated needing help, but he'd be a fool to reject the offer—and, deep down, he kind of appreciated that Hermione didn't seem scared of him or put off by his surly attitude.

After leaving the bookstore, they went on to buy cauldrons, potion ingredients, telescopes and robes (Nico was tremendously thankful that the uniform was black). Last on the list was a wand for each student. Professor McGonagall led them to a shabby looking shop at the end of the Alley. In the dusty window, a wooden stick sat on a faded purple cushion.

When they entered, a bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop. The interior was as shabby and dusty as the exterior. Thousands of narrow boxes were piled right up to the ceiling. Nico glanced again at the stick on the cushion, and suddenly remembered Professor McGonagall using a similar one to open the archway. "Are those wooden things…wands?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes," Professor McGonagall replied, sounding surprised by the question. "A wand is a witch or wizard's most essential tool. It is nearly impossible to perform controlled magic without one."

Nico frowned at that. He'd found that sometimes his sword helped focus his Underworld powers, but he certainly didn't _need_ it to control his abilities. Perhaps this was why he'd never noticed a talent for any other kind of magic.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Nico jumped and reached for his sword before remembering that he'd switched it out for his new ring. An old man was standing before them, his pale eyes shining in the dimly-lit shop.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Ollivander," Professor McGonagall replied. "This is Hermione Granger and Nico di Angelo."

"First years, I presume?" Ollivander asked. Professor McGonagall confirmed this with a nod. Ollivander pulled a tape measure out of his pocket and turned to Hermione. "Which is your wand arm?"

"Right," Hermione replied in a small voice. She looked a bit unnerved by the old man.

"I see." Ollivander turned to Nico, leaving the tape measure to measure Hermione all by itself. "And you?"

"Also right," Nico answered, unfazed by the man's misty demeanor. He wasn't any creepier than the ghosts that Nico dealt with on a regular basis.

Ollivander left a second tape measure to measure Nico and he began browsing the shelves. "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."

He pulled out two boxes. "Here we are then." The tape measures fell to the floor. Ollivander opened a box and held a wand out to Hermione. "Walnut and unicorn hair. 28 centimeters. Give it a wave." Hermione waved it, but nothing happened.

"Hmm." Ollivander offered the other wand to Nico. "Ash and phoenix feather. 23 centimeters." Nico took it and waved it, but again nothing happened.

"Not to worry," Ollivander said cheerfully, returning to the shelves. "The wand chooses the wizard. We'll find the right matches soon enough." He brought out another pair of wands and offered one to Hermione. "Try this one—maple and dragon heartstring. 26 centimeters." Hermione waved it, again with no result.

"Ah well," Ollivander shrugged, giving the other wand to Nico. "Ebony and unicorn hair, 30 centimeters." Still nothing.

Ollivander brought out more and more wands. After ten minutes, Hermione found her match in a vinewood and dragon heartstring wand which emitted a stream of red and gold sparks the moment it touched her hand. Nico had no such luck. It was nearly half an hour before he finally managed to get his own stream of sparks. His wand was yew and dragon heartstring. Nico wondered if he should have suggested yew in the first place—it was a symbol of death, after all.

Professor McGonagall left them after that, telling them that she had other business to attend to but they should feel free to browse. Nico was fully prepared to leave right then and there, but Hermione had other ideas. "Come on, Nico, let's look at the Magical Menagerie!" she said excitedly.

"That's probably not a good idea," Nico replied. "Animals are typically scared of me."

"Maybe magical animals will be different," Hermione suggested. "Come on, you're in a _magical_ shopping center, you can't just buy your school supplies and leave without looking at anything else!"

Well…Nico _was_ curious about this wizarding world. He supposed it couldn't hurt to stay here a little longer. He followed Hermione into the Magical Menagerie.

His entrance was met with a great deal of hissing and growling as nearly every animal turned to stare at him. "Wow, you weren't joking," Hermione observed, eyes wide.

"I should probably leave…" Nico began, but he trailed off as his Underworld senses began tingling. They led him to the back of the shop, where a black kitten was desperately trying to escape her cage. The kitten was clearly undead—her eyes glowed red and she was missing massive chunks of flesh, including a piece of her throat. She tried to meow at Nico, though it came out as a hybrid meow and hiss. Moments later, she succeeded in clawing away a corner of her cage and leaped into Nico's arms. She began rasping her desiccated tongue over his cheek.

"Is that…a zombie kitten?" Hermione asked, coming up behind him.

"Yep," Nico replied, awkwardly petting the kitten.

Hermione cautiously reached out her hand. The kitten sniffed her, then licked her too. "He's very friendly," Hermione observed.

"She," Nico corrected, though he wasn't sure how he knew. He walked to the front of the store. "I guess I'll be taking this little girl," he told the witch at the counter.

"Take her," the witch said with a shudder. "You're the first customer in years who hasn't screamed at the sight of her. Even the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures didn't want her. Whatever's animating her, none of them could put that poor kitten to rest."

"She's perfectly happy as she is," Nico defended. He scratched the kitten's chin. "Aren't you, puffball?" Suddenly he froze, embarrassed to be seen cooing over a kitten.

Hermione laughed. "I knew you had to have a heart in there somewhere."

"No I don't," Nico argued weakly. He quickly left the shop.

Hermione followed him. "Come on, you _do_ have a heart. I bet you've already come up with a name for her."

"Vescia," Nico answered immediately. He frowned in confusion. He had no idea how he'd come up with that name.

"See?" Hermione said triumphantly. "You act all tough, but deep down you just need someone to love."

"Shut up," Nico mumbled.

Hermione's parents walked over. They blinked when they saw Vescia, then their eyes glazed over and they turned to Nico. "Would you like to join us for ice cream?"

"Uh…sure," Nico relented. Fleetingly, he wondered what it would be like to be taken out for ice cream by his own parents. He swallowed back the thought. "Thanks."

* * *

After the ice cream, the Grangers returned home. Nico found a shadowy corner, checked that no one was watching, and traveled to his room in his father's palace. He didn't use the room very often, but he needed a safe place to put all his school things before he resumed his search for Percy. Once his things had been stowed, Nico returned to the Leaky Cauldron and plunged back into the Labyrinth.


	2. Train Ride with a Zombie Cat

**A/N: From now on, I'll be sticking to a Saturday update schedule.**

* * *

Hermione was beyond excited as she boarded the Hogwarts Express. She'd spent the last couple of months inhaling any information she could find about the wizarding world and her new school. Apparently Hogwarts was a _castle_ —imagine that. And…maybe she would finally make some friends. She'd never had friends at her old school.

Speaking of which, she spotted Nico sitting in an otherwise empty compartment and staring out the window. His undead kitten was curled up on his lap, looking happy as could be. "Mind if I join you?" Hermione asked. Nico shrugged, which she interpreted as assent.

Hermione stowed her trunk opposite his and sat down. "Did you have a good rest of your summer?"

"Not really." He turned away from the window. "You?"

"I've learned all our course books by heart and tried some spells—just a few simple ones, but they've all worked for me—and I've done some general background reading on the wizarding world. Did you know there's a boy called Harry Potter who defeated the most powerful dark wizard of the twentieth century when he was a _baby_?"

"The most powerful dark wizard of the century was a baby?" Nico said, confused.

"No, _Harry_ was a baby. And he's our age. He's probably in our year!"

"How'd he defeat this dark wizard?" Nico asked curiously.

"No one knows. You-Know-Who—"

"I _don't_ know who," Nico interrupted.

"It's apparently very bad luck to say his name," Hermione explained. "You-Know-Who killed Harry's parents and then he tried to kill Harry too, but the curse rebounded. Harry survived with nothing but a lightning-shaped scar, and You-Know-Who disappeared. Harry Potter is the only person who's _ever_ survived once You-Know-Who decided to kill them."

"Huh." Nico didn't sound all that impressed.

"I've also done some reading about Hogwarts itself," Hermione continued. "Students get sorted into one of four houses—Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best and I hear Dumbledore was in it—"

"Who's Dumbledore?"

"Professor Dumbledore, our headmaster. He's one of the most powerful wizards ever, though I hear he's a bit eccentric. Anyway, he was in Gryffindor, and they're known for being really brave and chivalrous. Slytherin has a bit of a bad reputation, most dark wizards including You-Know-Who himself were in Slytherin. Apparently its founder was a major blood purist, he didn't like to teach any students who weren't from old wizarding families—"

"That's stupid," Nico said flatly. "People can't help how they're born."

"Yes, but apparently the attitude persists today, You-Know-Who was a massive blood purist too."

"Good thing he's gone then."

" _You'd_ probably be fine, your father is clearly a wizard."

Nico scowled and looked back at the window. The train had left the station while they spoke and the English countryside was now flying past outside. "I don't want to talk about my father."

"Well…what about your mother? What _do_ you know about your family?"

Nico continued scowling for a while. Hermione was about to change the subject when he sighed and looked at her again. "My earliest memory is of waking up in a hotel last year with my sister. The hotel was the most amazing place you'll ever see, it had all sorts of games and activities and just about everything you could ever want. We were so entranced by the place that we didn't even realize our memories were missing. We were there by ourselves for…well, we weren't really paying attention to the time, but it felt like a couple months before this lawyer showed up and told us it was time to leave. He took us to this boarding school in Maine and told us that we were orphans and our parents had set up a trust fund to pay for school. Life was fairly normal until December, when…" Nico swallowed. "When the monsters came. My sister was killed. I ran away, and I've been fighting monsters ever since. I still don't know why my memories are gone, or who that lawyer was, or what happened to my parents."

"That's…wow. I'm sorry."

"Thanks." Nico began unconsciously petting his kitten, who made a distorted purring sound.

"What was your sister's name?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Bianca," Nico answered, tears in his eyes.

"I'm sure she'd be proud of you."

"Yeah," Nico agreed, sounding bitter.

Suddenly, something occurred to Hermione. "Nico, if you can't even remember most of your childhood, how do you know your father was absent? Maybe he used to be a perfectly loving and attentive parent, but whatever happened to make you lose your memories also forced him to leave. Maybe he had to go into hiding, or maybe he forgot you too…maybe your mother's still alive as well."

Nico sighed and shook his head. "I'm pretty sure she isn't. Don't ask me how I know, I just have a sort of intuition for that kind of thing. And Dad was obviously able to walk into Gringotts and tell them I was coming, so I'm pretty sure he remembers me and he's not in hiding."

"I'm just saying, maybe there's more to the story than you realize."

"Hmph." Nico scowled again. "So, Gryffindor and Slytherin…what were the other two houses?"

Hermione continued telling him what she'd learned about their new school. Nico seemed particularly interested in the ghosts and the numerous wards protecting Hogwarts. After a while, there was a clattering in the corridor and a smiling witch opened the door to their compartment. "Anything off the—AAAHHH! WHAT IS THAT?!"

"Vescia?" Nico asked, holding up his purring kitten. "She's friendly, don't worry."

"If you're sure about that, dear…" the witch said, sounding unconvinced. "Anything off the cart?"

Hermione and Nico both stood up and went into the corridor to investigate the cart. Hermione went right back into their compartment once she saw that the cart was full of candy, but Nico bought several Licorice Wands and Skeletal Sweets.

"You'll ruin your teeth," Hermione said disapprovingly.

"I've fought monsters who want to ruin much more than my teeth," Nico retorted. He bit off a piece of Licorice Wand.

Disgruntled at being ignored, Vescia hopped over to Hermione's lap. Hermione cautiously petted the kitten, avoiding the fleshless parts. "You know, from what I've read, reanimation is a very dark branch of magic."

Nico scowled, and Hermione could swear the room dimmed and the temperature dropped. "How so? It's not like it hurts them. If you don't make the corpses _do_ anything evil, then what's evil about animating them?"

"What _good_ cause could there possibly be for animating corpses?"

"What if you're attacked in a graveyard and need backup?"

"That's…that's just _wrong_ ," Hermione insisted with a shudder.

"Mew?" Vescia hissed, looking up at Hermione.

"What about Vescia?" Nico challenged. "She's friendly to everyone, even when they scream at the sight of her. Are you saying _she's_ evil?"

"Well…no."

"Then clearly reanimation isn't all bad," Nico said firmly. The lighting and temperature went back to normal.

"You really adore her, don't you," Hermione said quietly.

Nico sighed. "You saw those animals at the Magical Menagerie. Living animals hate me. Most people aren't much better. I take what affection I can get."

Hermione considered pointing out his insistent rejection of his father, but decided to leave the subject alone for now. "At my old school, I was the teacher's pet that no one liked. Everyone made fun of me for enjoying the schoolwork and doing extra research just because I could. And for using big words that no one else knew."

"There's nothing wrong with being different," Nico shrugged. "But most people just can't understand that."

At that moment, there was a knock on their compartment door. A round-faced blond boy poked his head in. "Have either of you seen a toad?" the boy asked, sniffling.

"Trust me, no toad is going to be hiding in here with me," Nico said darkly.

"I can't find him any—AAAHHH!" The boy shrieked and closed the door when he saw Vescia. Nico scowled and petted her.

"I'm going to help him," Hermione decided, getting to her feet.

"You'll probably have better luck without me," Nico muttered, not moving.

"Well…see you later, then." Hermione followed the boy into the corridor.

* * *

A few minutes after Hermione left, a skinny blond boy and two thuggish-looking cronies came to Nico's door. "Why do I keep hearing screams from this compartment?" the blond boy asked with a slight sneer.

"Because I'm terrifying," Nico replied, deadpan.

"You?" the boy scoffed. "You look like a twig. You don't seriously—AAAHHH!"

The boy and his two companions had spotted Vescia. She meowed at them, unfazed as usual. The boys slammed the door and fled.

Nico sighed and scratched her ears. "Well, I suppose you make a pretty good judge of who would accept me if they knew who I really was. A list that currently only includes Hermione…and maybe not even her, seeing as she thinks necromancy is evil." Feeling despondent, Nico laid down on the seat and took a nap.

* * *

A few hours later, Nico felt someone shaking him awake. He instinctively lashed out with his left fist and tried to transform his ring into his sword. Luckily for Hermione, the ring had come off in his sleep.

"Whoa, take it easy!" Hermione exclaimed. "I just wanted to let you know we're almost there. You should probably change into your robes."

"Sorry," Nico mumbled. "Reflexes. And I don't like being touched."

"Duly noted," Hermione said ruefully. "You're stronger than you look."

"Thanks, I think." Nico found his ring and put it on again. "You mind giving me a minute to change?"

"Oh, all right," Hermione grumbled. She left and closed the door again.

Nico opened his trunk and pulled out his school robes. He glanced out the window as he put them on; dusk had fallen. Thanks to his excellent night vision, Nico could clearly see mountains and forests flying past.

A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

Nico joined the crowd out in the corridor. Hermione was just outside their compartment. "There you are," she muttered. "Honestly, you're the only other person on this entire train who isn't acting like a total child."

Looking around at the laughter, horseplay and occasional explosions, Nico had to agree with her. "At least they _get_ a childhood," Nico muttered.

Hermione winced. "Sorry." Nico shrugged at her.

The train slowed down and finally stopped. The crowd surged toward the doors and pushed their way out onto a tiny, dark platform. Many of the students shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, held by a _very_ large bearded man with wild black hair. Definitely not human. Nico fingered his ring.

"Firs' years!" the giant called. "Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?"

Nico didn't see "Harry", but he warily followed Hermione toward the giant.

"C'mon, follow me—any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Slipping and stumbling, the first years followed the giant down a steep, narrow path lined with trees. The group had largely fallen silent, although the toadless boy sniffled a few times.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," the giant called over his shoulder. "Jus' round this bend here."

There was a collective gasp. The path had suddenly opened onto the edge of a large black lake. On the other side, a vast castle sat atop a high mountain, its windows twinkling in the night. The castle was very impressive, but Nico was a bit more concerned with the fleet of tiny boats on the near shore. "Oh no," Nico muttered, taking a step backwards. "Oh no, I really don't like boats…"

"No more'n four to a boat!" the giant called.

"Please no…" Nico mumbled.

"Come on, Nico, I'm sure it's perfectly safe," Hermione soothed, getting into a nearby boat. Nico reluctantly followed her. They were joined by the toadless boy and a skinny blond boy with an upturned nose.

"I'm Neville," the toadless boy introduced himself. "Sorry about earlier, your cat startled me."

"She startles everyone," Nico shrugged. "I'm Nico."

"Zacharias," the other boy added.

"And I'm Hermione."

"Everyone in?" the giant shouted from the front of the little fleet, where he had a boat all to himself. "Right then—FORWARD!"

The boats took off. Nico tightly gripped the side of the boat, afraid that Poseidon would take issue with this. Fortunately, they made it across the lake without incident, although Nico's heart was hammering in his chest. He didn't know if Poseidon was more lenient about freshwater or if he was simply in a good mood today, but Nico had no intention of crossing that lake again if he could help it. He quickly climbed out of the boat and clutched the cliff face, trying to soothe his frayed nerves.

"Are you all right?" Hermione asked worriedly.

Nico nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He distantly heard the giant shout something about a toad, much to Neville's relief. Then the giant led them on a path up the cliff face, eventually reaching a large, oaken door. The giant raised his fist and knocked.


	3. Nico Makes a New Enemy

**A/N: Point of clarification: in this fic, Nico will _not_ use the title of "ghost king". ****So far as I can tell, there was only one canonical occasion when he claimed the title, and only in order to deny it to Minos. I get the impression that it is not an official title and he doesn't actually think of himself that way.**

 **Anyway, on with the fic!**

* * *

The door swung open to reveal a witch that both Hermione and Nico recognized. "The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," the giant said.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." Professor McGonagall pulled the door wide open, revealing a massive entrance hall. The walls were lit with flaming torches and an imposing marble staircase led the way to the upper levels. Hermione looked around in awe, then glanced at Nico. He was the only student who appeared unimpressed by their new school.

A multitude of voices were audible through a door to their right, but Professor McGonagall led the first years to a small, empty chamber just off the entrance hall. The students stood close together while Professor McGonagall gave them a speech about the Sorting, the four houses and the House Cup. Then she departed, promising to return for them in a few minutes.

Throughout Professor McGonagall's speech, Nico had stared at Harry with an expression that was equal parts suspicion and dislike. Now that the students had been left to their own devices, Nico spoke up. "Who the Styx are _you_?" he asked rudely, fingering his silver ring.

Harry and Ron both whirled to face him. "Excuse me?" Harry responded indignantly.

Hermione decided to step in before a fight could break out. "Nico, meet Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Harry and Ron, this is Nico di Angelo."

" _You're_ the famous Harry Potter?" Nico repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah. You got a problem with that?" Harry said defensively.

"Maybe I do," Nico shot back, still fingering his ring.

"Calm down!" Hermione hissed, tugging Nico's sleeve to pull him away. "What's the matter with you?"

"What's the matter with _me_? What's the matter with _him_!" Nico hissed back.

"What are you _talking_ about?" Hermione demanded, bewildered.

"There is something _not right_ about that kid!"

"I met him on the train earlier," Hermione informed him. "Harry seems nice enough."

Nico shook his head. "I haven't sensed something that evil since Mount Tam."

Before Hermione could say anything else, they were interrupted by the arrival of about twenty ghosts, all streaming through the back wall. Many students just about jumped out of their skin, Nico included. The ghosts were arguing about someone named Peeves, but they all stopped when they caught sight of Nico. As one, the ghosts bowed or curtsied to him. "My lord!" they cried. "It is such an honor to have you at Hogwarts!"

The students all stared at Nico. He turned slightly red at being the center of attention. "There's no need to be so formal," he muttered to the ghosts. "Just call me Nico."

"Of course, of course," the ghosts chorused. Nico looked like he wanted to melt into the floor.

Luckily for Nico, Professor McGonagall chose that moment to return. "Move along, now. The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

The ghosts drifted away through the opposite wall, gossiping about the "little lord".

"Now, form a line and follow me," Professor McGonagall continued. The students obeyed.

"Who _are_ you?" another girl whispered to Nico.

"Didn't you hear? Apparently I'm a lord," Nico responded grumpily.

"Lord of what?"

"No talking!" Professor McGonagall called back to them.

* * *

Most of the students gazed around in awe when they entered the Great Hall, but Nico was too distracted to really appreciate the grandeur. Harry Potter gave off an overwhelming sense of evil—so overwhelming that Nico had failed to notice the approach of nearly two dozen ghosts. He didn't care how "nice" Harry seemed, something was very wrong with him.

Professor McGonagall led them to the far end of the hall and had them turn to face the other students, who were seated at four long tables. Professor McGonagall fetched a four-legged stool and placed it in front of the first years, followed by a very old and dirty wizard's hat. Everyone stared at the hat.

The hat twitched, then a rip opened like a mouth and the hat began to sing. It essentially recapped what Hermione had already told Nico: Gryffindor was for the brave at heart, Hufflepuff was for the just and loyal, Ravenclaw was for those of wit and learning, and Slytherin was for the cunning. Nico wondered which house he'd be in. Maybe the hat would tell him he wasn't really a wizard and that he didn't belong. He didn't belong anywhere else, why should he belong here?

Professor McGonagall began calling up students to try on the hat. The hat would deliberate for anywhere from a few seconds to a full minute, then call out a house. Soon enough, it was Nico's turn.

"Di Angelo, Nico!"

Forcing himself to appear calm, Nico walked forward and sat on the stool. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his head. As with many of the students before him, it fell over his eyes.

"Hmm," said a small voice in Nico's ear. He nearly jumped out of his skin. "You're an interesting one. So young, and yet so old. So loyal, and yet so bitter. So brave, and yet so full of fear…"

 _Get out of my head!_ Nico thought angrily.

The hat chuckled. "Not to worry, everything I see stays in strictest confidence. Including…ah, now that's interesting…"

An image of Percy flashed through Nico's mind. _That's private!_ he snapped.

The hat ignored him. "It must take a tremendous amount of courage to even talk to him, much less fight alongside him. Yes, I think your path is clear…GRYFFINDOR!"

Nico yanked off the hat. It took all of his willpower not to open a chasm in the Great Hall and hurl the hat into the Underworld. Shakily, he made his way to the cheering table on the far left. A redheaded boy in glasses offered his hand to shake, but Nico ignored him and sat down to watch the rest of the Sorting.

Hermione soon joined Nico at the Gryffindor table, as did the chronically toadless Neville Longbottom. The pale, sneering boy from the train (apparently named Draco Malfoy) joined his thuggish cronies at the Slytherin table.

Then Harry Potter was called. Whispering broke out all over the hall as people strained to get a better look at the Boy Who Lived. Nico clenched his fists under the table, silently praying that Harry wouldn't be in Gryffindor.

His wish was not granted. The Gryffindor table burst into their loudest cheers yet. A pair of redheaded twins chanted "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Harry walked over and sat as far away from Nico as possible, which was fine with Nico.

There were very few students left after Harry. Two more boys joined Gryffindor, including Harry's redheaded friend Ron. Then the last student was sorted into Slytherin, and Professor McGonagall took the Sorting Hat away.

Professor Dumbledore got to his feet, beaming. "Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Oddment! Blubber! Tweak! Thank you!"

The students clapped and cheered as if this was entirely normal. Nico wondered if Dumbledore had ever met Apollo; they had equally strange gifts for words.

Food magically appeared on the plates. The Great Hall was suddenly filled with chatter as students began helping themselves.

"Welcome, first years!" the glasses-wearing redhead said pompously. "My name is Percy Weasley, Gryffindor prefect. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask."

Nico jumped at the name Percy. This boy was about the same age as Percy Jackson, but he looked and acted completely different. Nico forced both Percys from his mind and filled his plate with roast beef, fries and ketchup.

"Seriously, Nico, why did the ghosts call you 'my lord'?" asked a first-year girl whose name Nico had already forgotten.

"Don't know," Nico lied. "That's not even one of the top ten weirdest things ever to happen to me."

"Really?" Neville said curiously. "What's the weirdest?"

Nico paused. That was actually a good question. "Either my vice principal turning into a manticore or taking three accidental trips to China."

"Accidental trips to China?" repeated a sandy-haired boy. "How do you _accidentally_ go to China?"

"Why does everyone ask that?" Nico grumbled. "You're all wizards, you know there's such a thing as magic."

"I know who you are!" came a loud voice from the end of the table. Ron was gawking at a ghost in medieval clothing. "You're Nearly Headless Nick!"

"I would _prefer_ you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy—" the ghost began, but the sandy-haired boy interrupted.

" _Nearly_ Headless? How can you be _nearly_ headless?"

"Like _this_ ," the ghost said irritably. He tugged on his left ear. His entire head swung to the side, attached by the barest flap of skin. Nico seemed to be the only first year who wasn't disgusted by the sight. Nick flipped his head back onto his neck.

"Medieval witch hunts?" Nico guessed. "And a very poorly executed execution?"

Nick nodded, looking pleased to be addressed by Nico. "They took my wand before I could escape."

Nico assessed the ghost's clothing. "Sixteenth century?"

Nick nodded again. "Five hundred years ago next year."

"And you've been haunting Hogwarts all this time?"

"Not _all_ this time. I spent about a hundred years haunting Greenwich and trying to convince the Headless Hunt to accept my application. They've rejected me three hundred and twenty-seven times now." Nick looked downcast, but then he perked up. "Perhaps if _you_ were to put in a good word for me…"

"If I ever meet them, sure. I'm not very familiar with English ghosts."

Suddenly there was a bright flash from further down the table, followed by the smell of smoke. "LEO!" two voices complained in unison. Nico looked over to see the redheaded twins who'd cheered for Harry. Both of their dinners were decidedly burnt, and they were glaring at a scrawny Hispanic boy who looked their age.

"That's what you get for suggesting such a lame prank," the boy retorted in a southern American accent. "Needs more pizzazz."

"Are you American too?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Yep," the boy confirmed with an impish grin. "Leo Valdez, Houston native and bad boy supreme, at your service."

"And for the past two years, our honorary triplet," one of the twins added.

"Unfortunately," Percy sighed.

"Leo's mum is dead and the rest of his family were idiots who couldn't appreciate his awesomeness, so he ran away to England and our mum pretty much adopted him as soon as she heard his story," the other twin explained.

"The England part was kind of an accident," Leo admitted. "I didn't realize I'd stowed away on an international freighter, I just wanted a ride out of the state."

"I don't believe we've introduced ourselves," the first twin realized. "Fred—"

"—and George—"

"—Weasley, angelically well-behaved twins—"

"—who are badly slandered by our dear brother Percy."

"You turned my prefect badge into a slug," Percy complained.

"It was an improvement," George shrugged.

"Nico here is from America too," Hermione cut in.

"Really?" Leo asked, interested. "Where in America?"

"Washington DC, I think," Nico mumbled.

"You _think_?"

Nico put his head in his hands. "Long story short, I have no memories from before last year."

"Whoa," the twins said in unison. "Wicked!"

Nico lifted his head and glared at them. "How would _you_ like it if you were all alone in the world and couldn't even remember your mother's face?"

The twins looked sheepish. "Okay, that may have been insensitive," Fred admitted.

"Was _definitely_ insensitive," George corrected. "Sorry."

"Yeah, sorry."

"So, are you on an epic quest to recover your memories?" Leo asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Nico said irritably. He shoveled food into his mouth.

"Friendly kid," Leo muttered before turning back to Fred and George.

No one else tried to talk to Nico until after the main course had disappeared and various desserts filled the table instead. "Are there any particular classes you're looking forward to, Nico?" Hermione asked, obviously trying to make conversation with him.

"I can barely read my textbooks, so I'm not entirely sure what the classes _are_ ," Nico replied.

"You can barely read your textbooks?" Percy repeated, sounding confused.

"He's dyslexic," Hermione explained.

This seemed to confuse Percy even more. "Dyslexic?"

"Letters float off the page when I read."

"Oh." Percy frowned for a few moments, then shrugged. "I'm sure they can work something out for you."

"So what _are_ the classes?" Nico prompted somewhat impatiently.

"For first year, you'll have Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic and Astronomy."

"I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration," Hermione said eagerly. "I hear it's supposed to be very difficult."

Percy nodded. "You'll be starting off small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing…"

Nico tuned them out as he ate a slice of tiramisu. He looked around the Great Hall, finally taking in how beautiful it was. Hundreds of candles floated overhead, and the ceiling was bewitched to look like the sky outside. Nico had to squint to be sure there _was_ a ceiling. So far, Hogwarts didn't seem quite as grand as his father's palace, but it was a great deal warmer and cozier. On the other hand, he felt a bit uncomfortable surrounded by so many _living_ people.

Nico looked around at the other students. A food fight had broken out at the Hufflepuff table. A few of the Ravenclaws had pulled out books to read and were glaring at the food fight. On the far side of the hall, the Slytherin table was filled with some rather unpleasant-looking students. Their snobbish expressions eerily reminded Nico of his stepmother.

At his own table, the other first years had started a lively discussion of their families. Further down the table, Leo was fiddling with something in his hands. He seemed to be incapable of sitting still. Fred and George were whispering together and shooting glances at Percy. Nico suspected that Percy was soon to be the victim of another prank.

Fortunately for Percy, Dumbledore stood up and the hall fell silent. "Ahem—just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore's twinkling gaze paused on the Weasley twins and Leo Valdez. "I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Nico had a feeling he was going to end up in that corridor sooner or later, whether he wanted to or not.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" Dumbledore finished cheerfully. Nico's eyes widened in horror as Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, causing a long golden ribbon to flow out of it and twist itself into words. "Everyone pick their favorite tune, and off we go!"

The school immediately burst into a dissonant cacophony of sound, everyone singing in different keys and at different speeds. Nico resolutely refused to sing. If anyone asked, he would blame his dyslexia. Floating gold ribbons were _not_ a dyslexia-friendly font.

Finally, the torture ended. "Ah, music," Dumbledore said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

Percy led the Gryffindor first years out of the Great Hall and up the marble staircase. Portraits pointed and whispered as they walked past. Twice, Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels or hanging tapestries. They climbed more and more staircases until Nico was certain that the Gryffindors must live at the very top of the castle.

Suddenly, the group came to a halt. A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them. Percy took a step forward, and the sticks immediately began throwing themselves at him.

"Peeves," Percy whispered. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice. "Peeves, show yourself."

There was a sound like the air being let out of a balloon.

"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?" Percy threatened.

There was a pop, and a little man with wicked eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air and clutching the walking sticks. "Oooooooh!" he cackled evilly. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"

Nico had no idea if poltergeists fell under Hades' jurisdiction, but he figured now was as good a time as any to find out. He stepped forward. "Go away, Peeves."

Peeves did a double take when he saw Nico, then swallowed nervously. "You know what, I think I'll go bother the Ravenclaws. They have funnier squeals." He dropped the walking sticks on Neville's head and zoomed away.

Percy looked at Nico in surprise. "How did you do that? Until now the Bloody Baron's been the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects."

"All the ghosts called him 'my lord'," one of the girls piped up.

" _Don't_ ask," Nico growled, tired of being the center of attention.

Percy raised his eyebrows, then turned to the painting at the end of the corridor. It was a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress. "Password?" she asked.

"Caput Draconis," Percy replied. The portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room. It was a cozy, round room decorated in red and gold and filled with comfortable-looking armchairs.

Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and led the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase, a door was labeled "First Years". The room contained six four-poster beds hung with red velvet curtains.

The boys began sleepily changing for bed when suddenly there was a loud hissing. Vescia was glaring at Harry from the bed with Nico's trunk. Moments later, she pounced.

"AAAAARGH!" Harry exclaimed. "GET THIS DEMON CAT OFF ME!"

Nico snatched Vescia away and cradled her in his arms. "What did you do to her?!"

" _Me?_ " Harry said indignantly. "I didn't do anything! That…that _thing_ is a monster!"

"Vescia never attacks _anyone_ ," Nico insisted, glaring at Harry. "No matter if they like her or not, she's the sweetest cat ever. You must have done _something_."

"That thing is _sweet_?" Ron said skeptically.

Nico lifted his chin. "Yeah. Try to pet her, any of you but Harry. Go on, I dare you."

Harry, Ron and the other two boys backed away, but after a few moments Neville cautiously approached Vescia and petted her. She purred and nuzzled him.

"See?" Nico said defiantly. "Total sweetheart. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed and taking my _not_ demon cat with me." He climbed into bed and shut his curtains, resolutely ignoring Harry and Ron's continued mutterings about demon cats and their creepy owners.

* * *

 **A/N: I have nothing against fics that place Nico in Slytherin, but personally I don't think he fits the bill for "cunning and ambitious".**


	4. It's All Greek to Nico

**A/N: Fair warning, Harry is going to come off as something of a jerk. This is not meant as a slight to his character; we're simply seeing him through Nico's eyes.**

* * *

The next morning, Nico almost overslept. All the other Gryffindor boys had gone to breakfast without him, so he hurriedly dressed and made his way through the common room. Once he reached the outside corridor, he realized he had no idea how to get back to the Great Hall. Rather than waste his time wandering around, he ducked into a shadowed alcove and transported himself to the chamber where they'd awaited the Sorting.

Nico entered the Great Hall just as the morning post arrived. About a hundred owls streamed into the hall, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin. He cautiously made his way to the Gryffindor table, where a number of owls were delivering letters or parcels. Most of the owls gave Nico a wide berth, although two brown owls flew up to him and tried to nibble his ear. Nico wasn't quite sure why those owls liked him.

"Good morning," Hermione said, laughing at his expression. She handed him a piece of parchment. "Professor McGonagall handed out timetables before you got here."

"Thanks." Nico scanned it, then decided it would be easier to ask Hermione. "What do we have first?"

"Double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs."

"Oh no," Nico groaned, helping himself to bacon. "I'm even worse with plants than animals."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "I'm starting to think you're just determined to dislike everything."

"I don't dislike my bed. It's very comfortable." Nico paused. "Then again, I can't remember when I last slept in a real bed anyway."

Hermione stared incredulously at him, then rolled her eyes and returned to reading one of their textbooks. "You are one-of-a-kind, Nico."

* * *

Herbology was taught in the greenhouses by a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout. She spent the first class giving them a tour of the greenhouse and telling them about the various plants and fungi. None of the plants died during their first class, but Nico could swear that they wilted whenever he came close. He suspected that this would be his worst subject.

* * *

As they returned to the castle, Hermione struck up a conversation. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" she said loftily.

"I hate greenhouses," Nico muttered. "What do we have next?"

"You forgot our schedule already?" Harry asked rudely, overhearing.

"Leave him alone, he's dyslexic and it's hard for him to read the schedule," Hermione defended.

"Well, I'm sure you'll like this next class," Ron told Nico, rather snidely. "History of Magic is taught by a ghost… _my lord_."

Nico whirled around and took a step toward Ron, giving him a menacing glare. "Don't _ever_ call me that again."

"S-sure, no problem," Ron agreed, backing away. Nico glared for a few moments longer, then turned back around and sped up. He heard Ron whisper something to Harry behind his back. Nico was pretty sure it wasn't complimentary.

* * *

Professor Binns did not treat Nico any differently than the other students, although Nico wasn't sure whether to be thankful for this. Professor Binns ignored his students and spent the entire class lecturing in a dull monotone. Add in Nico's ADHD, and it was nearly impossible to pay attention. He drew skulls all over his parchment while Hermione glared at him. He ignored her. His history textbook was one of the ones for which he'd been able to obtain an Ancient Greek translation, so he figured he could study the subject on his own time.

* * *

Charms was taught by a tiny wizard named Professor Flitwick who had to stand on a pile of books in order to see over his desk. His was the first class where the students got to use their wands, although they merely practiced wrist movements without casting any spells. Nico finally found something he was good at; half a year's worth of weapon training had given him excellent dexterity.

* * *

Transfiguration was taught by Professor McGonagall, their head of house. She began their first class by giving them a stern warning that the subject was dangerous and they could either take it seriously or get out. She then had them take a lot of complicated notes. After nearly an hour, they were each given a match and told to try to turn it into a needle.

At the end of the lesson, Professor McGonagall walked around to assess their progress. She stopped and smiled when she reached Nico and Hermione's desk. "Oh, well done, Miss Granger!" She held up Hermione's match, which had turned silver and pointy, and showed it to the class. "Miss Granger is the first student this year to successfully transfigure her match. Ten points to Gryffindor." Professor McGonagall then noticed the parchment on Nico's side of the desk, and frowned. "Mr. di Angelo, have you paid attention to a word I've said?"

"Yes, why?" Nico said sullenly.

"Your notes look like…scribbles."

Nico felt himself turning red. "I wrote in Greek. I have dyslexia and the Greek alphabet comes more easily to me than the Latin one."

The entire class stared at him, along with Professor McGonagall. After a few moments, she recovered herself. "Well, take notes in whatever language you like, but I expect you to do your homework in English."

"Yes, Professor."

* * *

"You never mentioned you speak Greek," Hermione reproached as they walked to dinner.

"I'm already the weird dyslexic kid with the 'demon cat' and the ghosts treat me like some sort of nobility," Nico said with a scowl. "I didn't want to stand out more."

"Were you able to speak Greek when you woke up in that hotel, or did you learn it this past year?"

Nico shrugged. "I guess I could always speak it, but I didn't realize until after I left Westover Hall—my old school."

Hermione stared at him and shook her head. "How are you _not_ curious about your past?"

"I _am_ curious about my past," Nico huffed. "I spent my summer investigating it. I found a whole lot of monsters and no new information."

"Maybe you weren't looking in the right place?" Hermione suggested.

"If you have any ideas that don't involve my father, I'm all ears."

Hermione was silent for a few moments, thinking. "Have you been back to that hotel?"

Nico shuddered. "I am _never_ going back there."

"I thought you said you loved it there," Hermione said, confused.

Nico shook his head. "That place is a trap. Once you go in, you never want to leave. The lawyer had to physically drag Bianca and me out of there. I don't know how he was immune to its spell."

"You were children, surrounded by fun and games and with nothing better to do. Now that you've got a purpose, I'm sure you'll be able to keep your wits about you."

"You don't understand," Nico insisted. "That place is magical. There were adults there too, and no one ever left. No one, _ever_ , except Bianca and me."

"Well, if it's really a magical place, maybe we can find something about it in the library. Let's go after dinner."

"Sure," Nico agreed unenthusiastically.

* * *

To Nico's surprise and pleasure, the Hogwarts library had a larger selection of Ancient Greek books than Flourish and Blotts. He pulled out a book on memory and walked over to join Hermione, who had amassed a pile of books on magical places. Nico felt slightly guilty about letting her waste her time researching the Lotus Hotel, but he was afraid to tell her more. She was very intelligent and she had too many clues already; any more information and she might figure out who he was.

"Don't forget to do our homework too," Hermione reminded him.

"Personally, I care more about rediscovering my past than about my grades."

"Your past has waited this long, the homework deadlines won't."

"When your vice principal starts throwing poison spikes at you, you get a very different perspective on education."

Hermione opened her mouth, apparently had no response to that, and closed it again. Nico opened his book and began to read.

"You should still do your homework," Hermione grumbled.

"Fine, in a few hours."

* * *

The next morning, the Gryffindor boys once again went to breakfast without Nico. He didn't even bother going through the common room this time, instead shadow-traveling directly from his bed to the entrance hall antechamber.

A few minutes later, the other boys arrived in the Great Hall. They did a double take when they saw Nico. "How'd you get here before us?" Ron demanded.

"Magic," Nico shrugged.

"No really, how?" Dean asked. "You were still asleep when we left."

"I don't share my secrets with people who abandon me."

"I'm not going near that cat just to wake you up," Seamus said with a shudder.

"Guys, he has a point," Neville argued. "He's part of our house, we should treat him that way."

Harry and Ron shared a glance, then pointedly walked to the other end of the table and sat down. Nico scowled at them before grabbing a piece of toast and standing up. "I can tell when I'm not wanted," he said, walking out of the Great Hall.

* * *

Their first class that day was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Nico arrived early and slouched against his desk, resting his chin on his hands and scowling at the board. The other Gryffindors soon began trickling in, including Hermione. Then a sickeningly evil presence entered the room. Nico opened his mouth to greet Harry, hoping to unnerve his classmate, but then he realized that this wasn't quite the same sensation. He twisted his head around and saw that the presence was emanating not from Harry Potter, but from Professor Quirrell.

Nico banged his head against his desk. "What is wrong with this place," he muttered to himself. First the boy who was famous for defeating a powerful dark wizard, and now the professor who was supposed to teach them how to fight evil…the people he would most expect to be good were the ones radiating corruption.

"Nico, is something wrong?" Hermione asked.

"No, nothing at all," Nico mumbled as Harry and Ron walked in and sat on the other side of the room. "I have to share a dormitory with an evil classmate and I have to be taught self-defense by an evil teacher, what's wrong with that?"

"Evil…you know what, I'm not going to ask," Hermione decided. "You really need to work on your trust issues."

"My so-called trust issues have kept me alive," Nico retorted.

Before Hermione could say anything else, Professor Quirrell called the class to attention. He acted very twitchy, stuttering and stumbling over the roll call. Nico narrowed his eyes, glaring at the professor. Professor Quirrell noticed, and his stutter worsened.

"R-r-right, well, w-welcome to D-d-defense Against the D-dark Arts. In th-this course, y-you'll learn to defend y-yourself and—yes, M-m-miss Brown?"

Lavender had raised her hand. "Why do you wear a turban?"

"G-gift from an African p-p-prince," Quirrell muttered. "I g-got rid of a t-troublesome z-z-zombie for him."

"How?" Nico called, narrowing his eyes even further. He knew a thing or two about troublesome zombies.

Quirrell turned pink. "O-o-open your b-books, please."

Nico obeyed, suspicions deepening. He kept his eyes on Quirrell throughout the class. The class proved to be something of a joke; Quirrell acted far too jumpy and nervous to actually discuss anything remotely dangerous. Nico was certain it was only that: an act.

* * *

All their other classes were repeats of courses they had attended the previous day, and the rest of the day passed uneventfully. After dinner, Hermione once again dragged Nico to the library. He didn't particularly mind. The library seemed to be the least populated part of the castle.

* * *

The next morning, Nico was woken by Neville opening his curtains. "Morning, Nico. We're going to breakfast soon, if you want to join us."

Nico glanced at Harry and Ron, who were both shooting death glares in his direction. "Thanks, but I think I'll go on my own."

"Or you could just join me," Neville suggested. "Look, I know you and Harry hate each other, but that doesn't mean you have to be enemies with all of us."

"Why do you even care?" Nico snapped.

Neville scowled. "Back on the train, Hermione said your bark is worse than your bite and I should give you a chance. Right now, though, I'm starting to think you're all bite." He turned on his heel and walked away.

Nico put a pillow over his head and stifled a groan. He was _not_ good with living people. Especially other boys. It was almost like he had some sort of compulsion to drive them away.

He tried very hard not to think about why that might be.

* * *

After that, none of the Gryffindors even tried to be nice to Nico or Hermione. The pair spent all of their spare time in the library, doing their homework and reading anything that might contain clues to Nico's past. Nico didn't really expect to find any answers, but by this point he didn't have any better ideas. And Hermione was very helpful when it came to homework—she read the textbooks for him and corrected his frankly atrocious spelling. Though he would never admit it, he didn't know what he would do without her.

* * *

Friday morning they had their first Potions lesson, a double period with the Slytherins. The classroom was down in the dungeons, a creepy room with pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls. Naturally, Nico liked the classroom immediately.

As the students trickled into the classroom and took their seats, Harry and Ron walked past Nico and Hermione. Hermione spotted something in Harry's hand. "Harry, why have you been writing to the Ministry of Magic?"

"I was informing the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures about that demon cat," Harry answered, glaring at Nico. "I can't believe you're allowed to keep that thing as a _pet_."

"And did the Ministry inform you that they already investigated her and deemed her safe enough to release to a magical pet shop?" Nico asked, returning Harry's glare.

"Clearly, the Department's gone mental," Ron answered, sounding annoyed. "I'm writing to Dad next, maybe he knows what's gotten into them."

"Did you know your kitten's older than you are?" Harry added. "They found her roaming the countryside _thirty years ago_."

Nico suppressed a snort. "Is _that_ supposed to bother me? I'm far more disturbed by the fact that you skipped the teachers and went straight to the _government_."

"I thought the Ministry might like to know that someone's selling zombie pets," Harry retorted. "What kind of freak buys a pet like that, anyway?"

"Is there a problem here?" asked a voice behind them. Professor Snape had arrived.

Harry whirled around. "No, sir, I was just—"

"—just bullying your classmate, I heard," Snape interrupted. "How very like your father. Take your seat."

Harry sputtered in outrage. "My father didn't—"

" _Take your seat,_ " Snape hissed dangerously.

Harry glared at Snape, then at Nico. He grudgingly followed Ron to an empty desk. Nico smirked at them.

Snape went to the front of the classroom and called roll, pausing to snidely call Harry a "celebrity". Once he was finished, he gave a speech in which he subtly insulted the students' intelligence. Then he asked Harry a series of random questions about potion ingredients and not-so-subtly insulted Harry for not knowing the answers. Even Nico thought that was a bit unfair—Snape hadn't actually _taught_ them anything yet. Finally, Snape had them all pair off and set them to making a potion to cure boils.

"Did he _have_ to put the instructions in cursive?" Nico complained, staring uncomprehendingly at the blackboard.

"I'll read the instructions to you," Hermione promised, setting up her cauldron.

They began preparing the potion. Nico soon forgot his fight with Harry, fascinated by the bizarre and occasionally disgusting ingredients that they had to work with. The ADHD part of him listened as Snape criticized the other students' potions. Bizarrely, Snape's disapproving manner reminded Nico of his father. Nico wasn't sure whether to be disturbed or amused by this.

Snape eventually paused by Nico and Hermione's cauldron. "Perfectly ground snake fangs," he commented. "At least _some_ Gryffindors can brew a basic potion."

Hermione beamed at the praise. Snape gave them an oddly wistful look before moving on to berate Seamus and Neville.

"Why was he nice to _us_?" Nico wondered once Snape was out of earshot.

"Probably because we actually did it right," Hermione replied happily.

Nico wasn't sure that was it, but he let the matter drop.

An hour later, Neville had melted his cauldron, his potion was burning holes in people's shoes and Snape had somehow blamed Harry. Nico would have been thoroughly amused by Harry's misfortune if Snape hadn't docked points from Gryffindor.

* * *

After classes ended that day, Nico decided to explore the castle. He really needed to learn how to get around without shadow-traveling every time he got lost. He also hoped to find a private spot where he could practice his sword skills. He couldn't afford to get rusty, not with Kronos rising.

Nico stopped in his tracks when he heard noises coming from a supply closet. He cautiously opened it and found the Weasley twins and Leo Valdez inside. Nico blinked to be sure he was seeing things correctly. "Are you…installing robotic legs on Filch's cleaning supplies?"

The trio shared a look before answering in unison. "Maybe."

"I thought technology didn't work at Hogwarts."

"I _make_ it work," Leo replied. "That's how awesome I am."

"Huh." For a few moments, they all stared awkwardly at each other, then Nico shrugged. "Carry on, then." He closed the door to the closet again and walked away.

A little while later, Nico found an empty classroom where the desks and chairs had been piled against the wall, leaving plenty of open space where Nico could conceivably practice his swordplay. However, his attention was caught by the large mirror propped against the wall. It was set in an ornate gold frame with an inscription that Nico could not decipher no matter how hard he tried. He wondered if it was actual gibberish. Then he looked _into_ the mirror, and he forgot all about the inscription.

He saw himself and Bianca as younger children, accompanied by a smiling woman who looked so much like Bianca that she _must_ be their mother. As Nico watched, his mother laughed and kissed his mirror-self on the forehead. Bianca came up behind him and started tickling him. The two siblings quickly collapsed into a wrestling, giggling heap. Hades entered the scene, smiled at his children, and gave their mother a kiss. Real Nico put his hand against the mirror, desperately wishing he could fall through it into the scene it depicted.

Then there was a noise in the corridor, and Nico recovered his senses. He hurried out of the room. That mirror reminded him eerily of the Lotus Hotel, and he had no desire to lose another sixty years.

* * *

That night, Nico dreamed that he was in a small, cozy room with a number of bookshelves. A wizened old man sat in a cushioned armchair, reading a newspaper. He didn't look pleased by what he read.

There was a quiet knock on the door. "Come in," the old man called.

Dumbledore entered, looking grim. "Hello, Nicolas. I see you've heard the news."

"Broke into Gringotts and got away scot-free," Nicolas replied, shaking his head. "He's gaining power, isn't he?"

Dumbledore nodded soberly. "We are indeed fortunate that it was removed that day."

"He won't stop until he gets it," Nicolas stated worriedly.

"Relax, old friend, it will be well protected at Hogwarts."

"We thought the same of Gringotts."

"He will not dare return to school," Dumbledore insisted. "Not while I am headmaster."

"Did you not express concerns about Professor—"

"I have asked Severus to keep an eye on him. The situation is well in hand."

Nicolas sighed. "I hope you're right, Albus. If he returns, it could spell death for us all."

* * *

Nico jolted awake. Something was hidden at Hogwarts. Something dangerous. Someone—quite possibly a professor—wanted to steal it. And Nico had his suspicions as to who that professor was.


	5. Nico Does Not Belong in the Sky

When the Gryffindor first years returned to the common room after their Astronomy lesson the next week, there was a notice pinned to the board. The other boys immediately began chattering amongst themselves.

"What is it?" Nico quietly asked Hermione, who looked apprehensive.

"Flying lessons with the Slytherins tomorrow afternoon," Hermione answered.

Nico stared at her in horror. " _Flying?!_ "

"On a broom, I think."

"No, no, no," Nico muttered, backing away. "I don't fly. I do _not_ fly. No!"

"Everyone has to do it," Hermione stated.

" _No_ ," Nico insisted. "I do _not_ belong in the _sky_! Jumping out of that mountain was bad enough…"

"What?" Hermione asked, giving him a strange look.

"Never mind. I _don't_ fly. Not happening." With that, Nico stormed away to his dormitory. He quickly changed for bed and climbed under the covers, tightly clutching his kitten. She purred at him, happy as always.

* * *

When Nico came to breakfast the next morning, Hermione had a book propped against her orange juice. " _Quidditch Through the Ages_ ," she explained. "I thought it might have some tips."

"What in Tartarus is _Quidditch_?" Nico asked, mystified.

"A sport played on broomsticks. Hogwarts has an inter-house Quidditch Cup."

"Count me out," Nico said with a shudder.

Hermione regarded him sympathetically. "Look, I'm not keen on flying either, but it's a _required_ activity. I'm sure they've got safety measures."

"Oh, sure, _safety measures_ ," Nico scoffed. "Somehow I don't think that'll save me. I mean it, I _can't_ fly!"

"At least let me read you some tips," Hermione wheedled. "You never know."

"I _do_ know," Nico muttered, but he let her read to him.

Five minutes later, Hermione's impromptu lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the mail. A barn owl delivered a small package to Neville. He opened it excitedly and showed them all a glass ball the size of a large marble. The ball was full of what looked like white smoke.

"It's a Remembrall!" Neville explained. "Gran knows I forget things—this tells you if you've forgotten something important. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red…oh…" His face fell as the smoke turned scarlet. "It means you've forgotten something…"

A few moments later, Draco Malfoy walked past and snatched the Remembrall out of Neville's hand. Harry and Ron leaped out of their seats, but Nico got there first. "That doesn't belong to you," he hissed angrily.

Malfoy swallowed nervously under the intensity of Nico's glare. "Just looking."

"Next time, _ask_ ," Nico snapped, snatching the Remembrall out of Malfoy's hand. It immediately turned so red that it glowed. Malfoy glanced at the Remembrall, then back at Nico, then he hurried over to the Slytherin table. Nico handed the Remembrall back to Neville. "You're welcome."

Neville slowly took back the Remembrall without taking his eyes off of Nico. "Why did you do that?" he asked, baffled.

"We're part of the same house," Nico shrugged, returning to his seat by Hermione. Neville continued staring at him, but Nico ignored him and asked Hermione to continue reading.

* * *

After Charms ended that afternoon, the Gryffindors headed out of the castle for their flying lesson. Hermione noticed Nico trying to slip away from the group. "Come _on_ ," she insisted, grabbing his sleeve and dragging him along.

" _I don't fly!_ " he hissed, yanking his sleeve out of her grip.

"No one's asking you to join the Quidditch team!" Hermione retorted. "Do you want Gryffindor to lose points because you ditched?"

"I don't want to die," Nico snapped. "Especially not over something so stupid."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're not going to _die_. Come on." She made sure not to take her eyes off Nico the rest of the way to the grounds.

Gray clouds covered the sky. The trees of the Forbidden Forest swayed in a mild wind. The Slytherins were already there, along with twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines along the ground.

Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived right after the Gryffindors. "Well, what are you waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick." She waited a few moments for the students to obey. "Stick out your right hand over your broom, and say 'Up!'"

"UP!" everyone shouted. Harry and Malfoy's brooms jumped to their hands at once, but theirs were the only ones. Hermione's merely rolled over on the ground, and some didn't move at all. Hermione repeated herself a few times, to no avail. Then she noticed Madam Hooch walking down the line toward Nico. Nico had folded his arms and wasn't even trying to pick up his broom.

"You, boy, why aren't you doing what I said?" Madam Hooch demanded.

"I don't fly," Nico said stubbornly.

"You do today," Madam Hooch said firmly. She picked up Nico's broom and tried to hand it to him.

Nico kept his arms folded. "No."

"Five points from Gryffindor. Now take the broom, or it'll be more."

Nico glowered at her, then gingerly took the broom. He immediately dropped it with a cry of pain. The clouds overhead seemed to darken.

"Don't be ridiculous," Madam Hooch scolded. She picked up the broom and held it out to Nico again.

"It shocked me!" Nico protested.

" _Take it,_ " Madam Hooch ordered, shoving the broom back into his hand. Nico's eyes widened and he took a step backwards. This was lucky for Madam Hooch, because lightning suddenly forked down from the sky and struck Nico. A moment after it made contact, Nico became encased in black energy. The lightning and black energy continued for nearly fifteen seconds, then the lightning finally dissipated. The black energy faded to reveal Nico lying on the ground, unconscious. A tremor went through the earth.

At first, the class could only gape in a mixture of horror and astonishment. Then a figure fell out of the sky and crashed to the ground with a nasty-sounding crack. Everyone jumped and turned to Neville. The lightning strike had startled him into pushing off from the ground, but he'd been unable to keep his seat on his broom.

Madam Hooch looked between her two injured students. Neville moaned and sat up, clutching his wrist. "Can you walk?" Madam Hooch asked, her face grim.

"I-I think so," Neville stammered weakly. He shot a nervous look at Nico's motionless form.

"Come on then, up you get," Madam Hooch ordered. She conjured a floating stretcher and lifted Nico onto it. Then she turned to the rest of the class. "None of you is to move while I take these boys to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch'. Come on, dear." She led Neville back to the castle, bringing the stretcher along with her. The earth shook again, nearly knocking them off their feet.

Once Madam Hooch was out of earshot, Malfoy burst into laughter. "Was that for real?"

"Of course it was for real!" Hermione snapped. "Nico could be seriously hurt, and you think this is funny?!"

"Look!" Malfoy cried, ignoring Hermione and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

Harry got into an argument with Malfoy over the Remembrall, but Hermione barely heard them. She was too busy staring at the scorch mark where Nico had been standing.

Nico had been utterly convinced that something terrible would happen if he tried to fly. Hermione had assumed he was afraid of heights, but now that she thought about it, he wasn't bothered by their lessons on top of the Astronomy Tower. And he'd said he "didn't belong in the sky", as if the sky itself might take issue with his presence—which it seemingly had. The storm clouds had grown even darker and rain had begun to fall. Another tremor went through the earth. Absurd as it sounded, it was almost like Nico's contact with the broomstick had caused the sky and earth to turn violent.

And Hermione began to feel a little guilty for forcing Nico to attend the flying lesson.

* * *

By dinnertime, the rain had turned into a full-blown thunderstorm and the tremors had increased. Hermione rushed through her dinner and then went to the hospital wing. Nico was lying on a bed, still unconscious. Neville sat at his bedside, with no injury evident.

"Neville?" Hermione asked. "Are you all right?"

"Just a broken wrist," he shrugged. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in a heartbeat. Nico, though…she's tried several different spells and potions, and none of them make any difference."

"And…you just decided to sit here with him?"

Neville glanced back at Nico, his expression slightly guilty. "He stood up for me this morning, and I never said thank you. All I could think to say was 'why did you do that'…almost the exact same thing he said to _me_ last week that made me give up on trying to befriend him. Now I'm wondering if I gave up too easily…and if I'll ever have the chance to try again."

Hermione sat down in a chair on the other side of Nico's bed. "He's not a bad person. He's led a rough life, and I think he doesn't know how to react to people who aren't out to get him. He gets short with me too sometimes, I just don't let it deter me. He _needs_ a friend, even if he'll never admit it."

"The Remembrall…" Neville began hesitantly. "It practically _glowed_ for him. But he never seems forgetful."

"He woke up last year with no memory," Hermione explained. "He has yet to get it back. I'm not sure it's my place to say more."

"I hope he gets it back some day," Neville replied, with total sincerity. They both sat in silence for a few moments, then Neville's stomach growled.

"You should get some food before dinner ends," Hermione suggested. "Nico doesn't look like he's going to wake up any time soon."

"Yeah, I suppose," Neville sighed. He got up and left, casting one last glance over his shoulder at Nico.

With Neville gone, Hermione and Nico were now alone in the hospital wing. Hermione studied her friend. In sleep, his eyes lacked their usual haunted look and his perpetual scowl was absent. For the first time since she'd met him, Nico truly looked like an eleven-year-old boy.

"Are you a friend of my son's?"

Hermione whirled around and stifled a scream. There was a humanoid figure behind her, but it certainly wasn't _human_. He was at least three meters tall, dressed in Ancient Greek-style black silk robes and a crown of braided gold. Shadowy faces swirled in the folds of his robes, locked in silent screams of agony. His skin was albino white and his shoulder-length hair was jet black. His eyes were intense and a little manic. He radiated death and power.

And on second glance, Hermione realized that he bore a striking resemblance to Nico.

"Yes," she answered, swallowing down her nerves. "I'm a friend of Nico's."

"I see," the figure replied, in a tone that made it difficult to tell if he was pleased or displeased. "And what do you know of me?"

Hermione swallowed again. "Only that Nico believes you abandoned him and he hates you for it."

The figure glanced at Nico and scowled. "Hmph. Ungrateful child. He has no idea how much trouble I've gone through to protect him."

"Maybe if you told him, he'd be a little more grateful," Hermione ventured tentatively.

The figure shook his head. "His past was hidden from him for a reason. His ignorance has kept him safe." He contemplated his son for a few more moments, then he returned his gaze to Hermione. He shrank to human size, wandlessly conjured a glass of what looked like apple juice, and handed it to her. "Give him this. Make sure he drinks all of it, and do not drink a single drop yourself. Do not let him investigate his past. And do not let him try to fly again. Next time, I may not be able to save him." With that, he dissolved into shadow and disappeared altogether.

Hermione stared at the spot where he'd been, trying to make sense of what just happened. She was highly tempted to believe that the entire experience had been a hallucination, except she still held the glass of…whatever it was. Slightly shakily, she turned back to the bed and carefully poured the juice down Nico's throat. He did not stir, but some color returned to his face.

Hermione set the glass on the nightstand. For the first time, she noticed that there was already something on the nightstand—a small lead figurine that looked like Nico's father. She picked it up for a closer look and spotted a name engraved on the base. When she registered what it said, the figurine clattered out of her hand.

No. Not possible. He was a _myth._

But ghosts bowed and scraped to Nico. That was not a myth. Nico read Greek more easily than he did English. Also not a myth. And the visitor…he was very powerful, very terrifying, and very real. Definitely not a myth.

Against all odds, Hermione found herself believing that her new best friend truly was the son of Hades.

A thousand questions flooded into her mind, but Hades was gone. And he had made it clear that he wanted Nico to remain ignorant of the truth. Hermione did not like the idea of lying to her friend, but she dared not invoke the god's wrath. She could never tell Nico what she had learned tonight.

* * *

Nico woke up feeling like he'd been run over by a hellhound. Every muscle in his body ached. He stretched, then blinked open his eyes and looked around the darkened room in confusion. This wasn't his dormitory. The room was too long, and there were too many beds.

A few moments later, he remembered what had happened and realized he must be in the school infirmary. Hearing a noise to his side, he looked over and saw Hermione asleep in her chair. He was about to wake her when he noticed something on the floor next to her. His eyes widened when he realized it was the Mythomagic figurine Bianca had died for. He quickly snatched it up and put it back in his pocket, hoping Hermione hadn't noticed it.

Once the figurine was hidden, he cautiously shook Hermione awake. She grumbled a bit, then her eyes flew open. "Nico! You're awake!"

"Your powers of observation astound me," he said drily. "How long have I been in here? Please tell me it's still Thursday."

"Yes, it's still Thursday, but…oh god, it's nearly midnight!" Hermione realized. "Way past curfew! I'm going to get in so much trouble!"

"Not if you don't get caught," Nico shrugged. He threw off his blanket and stood up.

"What are you doing?!" Hermione cried worriedly.

"I'm going back to the common room, what else?"

"You just spent nearly eight hours unconscious, you can't just up and walk away!"

"Watch me."

"At least let Madam Pomfrey check you over," Hermione pleaded.

"And risk her making me stay overnight?" Nico shuddered. "No thanks. I'm going. You coming?"

"Yes, I'm coming," Hermione grumbled. " _Someone_ has to look out for your health."

* * *

They were only a few corridors from the hospital wing when they heard a loud crash and a yell. Nico immediately changed direction to run toward the crash, much to Hermione's chagrin. "Where are you going?!" she hissed as loudly as she dared.

"Someone could be in trouble!" Nico hissed back.

" _We'll_ be in trouble if we're found!" Hermione said worriedly.

"I don't mean losing-points-and-getting-detention trouble," Nico retorted, rolling his eyes.

"Even if you're right, you _just_ got out of the hospital wing, don't put yourself back in!" Hermione pleaded.

Nico breathed heavily for a few moments, then relented. "Fine." He turned to head toward Gryffindor Tower, but froze when he heard Filch's voice. Wordlessly, he turned again and continued the way he'd been heading. Hermione followed him without protest.

Two staircases and three corridors later, they ended up near their Charms classroom. Nico tried a door and found it locked. He was about to move on, but Hermione tugged on his sleeve. "Wait," she whispered. "He won't check in here." She pulled out her wand and tapped the lock. " _Alohamora._ "

The lock clicked and the door swung open. The pair hurried inside. Hermione quickly closed the door behind them while Nico stared into the blackness of the new corridor. There was a very large, very familiar figure standing on a trap door. It couldn't be _the_ Cerberus—Cerberus would never have fit in this corridor—but there was no mistaking the outline of three heads. Nico cautiously approached the giant dog. All three heads sniffed him, then a giant tongue licked him.

Suddenly, Peeves shouted on the other side of the door. "STUDENTS OUT OF BED! STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!" A few moments later, the door opened and three more people pushed their way through it. The dog stiffened, but Nico quickly stroked the nearest head and murmured soothingly into one of the dog's ears. Neville gawked at the sight while Harry and Ron kept their ears to the door, not yet noticing that the corridor was occupied.

Peeves and Filch got into an argument outside, Filch demanding to know where the students had gone and Peeves tauntingly evading the question. After a few minutes, Filch gave up and went away. His footsteps slowly faded out of earshot.

"Nico?" Neville ventured hesitantly. "Is…is that thing tame?"

Harry and Ron whirled around and their jaws dropped.

"Tame?" Nico said casually. "No, not really."

"Seems to like _you_ well enough," Harry pointed out, somewhat shakily.

"Because _I_ don't judge creatures for not being cute and fuzzy," Nico responded, smirking. "He can smell your fear, though. I'm pretty sure he's imagining you as a Harry biscuit. Can't say I blame him."

Harry and Ron shared a look of horror, then hurried back out of the room.

"Nico, we should really get back to Gryffindor Tower," Hermione said uneasily. "I just realized…this is the third floor. The _forbidden_ corridor."

"And you might want to take a shower before coming into the dormitory," Neville added. "I mean, I'm glad you're feeling better and all, but…you smell."

"You're…glad I'm feeling better?" Nico said blankly.

"Yes, I am. Now come on, before Filch comes back."

Still bewildered, Nico gave the dog one last pat and followed Hermione and Neville out of the corridor. They were silent until they reached the common room. Neville and Hermione both collapsed into armchairs, looking unnerved in spite of themselves.

Nico was about to head into the bathroom when he suddenly recalled his dream, and pieces began to fall into place. He turned back to Neville. "What were you, Harry and Ron doing out of Gryffindor Tower anyway?"

"I…don't actually know where Harry and Ron were going," Neville admitted. "I'd forgotten the password and I was stuck outside the portrait hole. The Bloody Baron had been past twice already and I thought it would be less scary to tag along with them. Shows what I know."

"How'd you end up in the forbidden corridor?"

"I was just following them."

Nico frowned. "I see."

"Nico, what is it?" Hermione asked warily.

"The dog was standing on a trap door. He's obviously guarding something…and Harry just randomly came charging in there in the middle of the night?"

Neville and Hermione had no answer to that. Nico finally left to prepare for bed, his ominous question still hanging in the air.

* * *

 **A/N: I wanted to preserve the secret-keeping for a while, but I felt that Hermione was far too clever not to figure out Nico's secret fairly quickly...I quite like my solution.**


	6. Nico Becomes a Dandelion

In the weeks following her encounter with Hades, Hermione found several books on Greek mythology and checked them out of the library. She was careful to read them only in her dormitory and to make sure Nico never saw them. She was relieved to realize that Hades wasn't really as bad as modern media typically painted him. However, she could find no mention of Hades having children, only a wife named Persephone. Hermione wasn't sure what to make of that—was Nico the demigod son of a mortal woman, or was he a minor god whom Hades had erased from the myths just as thoroughly as he'd erased Nico's memory? Was Nico really the same age as Hermione, or was he thousands of years old and he simply didn't know it?

Nico couldn't help but notice that Hermione seemed to be acting differently after the disastrous flying lesson. She was jumpy and borderline secretive. And sometimes Nico would catch her staring at him, only for her to look away as soon as she realized he'd noticed. At first he was afraid she'd figured him out, but surely she couldn't have—if she knew who he was, she'd have gotten as far away from him as possible. No, something else was bothering her, and if she didn't want to share, Nico would respect her right to privacy. He'd be a pretty big hypocrite if he didn't.

Neville had asked Harry's side of the story as soon as he'd had a chance. According to Harry, he'd been planning a midnight duel with Malfoy and he stumbled on the forbidden corridor by accident. He hadn't even noticed the trap door, but as soon as he heard about it, he became convinced that Nico was up to something. Neville tried to make both Harry and Nico listen to reason, but they were each convinced that the other was lying to Neville. He eventually gave up and declared himself totally neutral in their feud. Luckily, they both accepted that…for the time being, at least.

* * *

One Saturday in October, Nico decided it was time to talk to Percy about the River Styx again. He had noticed that a girls' bathroom on the second floor appeared to be permanently out of order, so hopefully he would be undisturbed in there. If not…well, that could get awkward. He might not have any interest in spying on girls, but he sure as Tartarus didn't plan on explaining that to anyone.

Fortunately, the bathroom was empty. Nico tried to turn on a sink, but—who would have guessed—it was out of order. Luckily, the next one he tried worked fine. He threw a drachma into the spray. "O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering. Show me Percy Jackson."

An image of Percy appeared—in the shower. Nico blushed crimson and swiped his hand through the image before Percy could notice him. He'd forgotten it was still morning in New York.

"Who was _he_?"

Nico jumped and whirled around to find a spectral girl hovering over a nearby toilet. Why did Hogwarts ghosts keep turning up whenever he was too flustered to notice their approach?

"He was _handsome_ ," the girl continued in a simpering tone. Then her voice soured. "Not that he'd ever notice _me_ , I suppose. No one ever notices Myrtle. Not even Lord Hades's son. I'll leave you alone now." She began sinking into the toilet.

"Wait!" Nico cried. Myrtle floated back up and gave him a hopeful look. "I never said I wanted you to leave. I'm sorry I didn't notice you before, I was just…distracted."

"You…you don't want me to leave, my lord?" Myrtle asked with a hiccup.

"No, I don't. Who are you? I've met lots of ghosts in this castle, but I don't think I've met you before."

"I'm Myrtle. Moaning Myrtle, they call me. And worse names. That's why I stay in this bathroom. Nobody teases me in here."

"Oh. Am I bothering you?"

Myrtle stared at him like he'd grown a second head. " _You're_ worried about _my_ feelings? The son of Hades _cares_ about my feelings? No one _ever_ cares about my feelings!"

"Welcome to the club," Nico replied dejectedly.

Myrtle cautiously floated out of her stall and hovered next to him. "Do you not have friends either?"

"I have one or two. Maybe. But if they knew who I was, they wouldn't be."

"Do…do you want _me_ to be your friend, my lord?" Myrtle asked hesitantly.

"If you want to be. Just…don't tell anyone who I am, okay? And stop it with the 'my lord' nonsense. My name is Nico."

Myrtle smiled and gave him a very cold hug. "Okay, Nico!"

* * *

Percy continued rejecting Nico's plan, and time crept on. Before Nico knew it, Halloween had arrived. The delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafted through the corridors.

In Charms that day, Professor Flitwick announced that they were ready to start making objects fly, much to the class's excitement. He put them all into pairs to practice. Nico was paired with Neville, which wasn't so bad, but Hermione had the misfortune to be paired with Ron Weasley. It was hard to tell which of them was more upset by this. Although they lacked Nico and Harry's outright animosity, Ron felt that Hermione was an insufferable know-it-all and Hermione felt that Ron had an appalling lack of manners.

"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" Professor Flitwick squeaked. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick!"

Nico caught Neville's wrist. "You're doing it backwards. The first movement is graceful, the second movement is sharp."

"Right," Neville replied, sweat beading on his forehead. "Swish, _then_ flick, swish, _then_ flick… _Wingardium Leviosa!_ " He promptly sent their feather zooming off the desk and onto the floor. Face flushed, he picked it up and put it back on the desk. "Maybe you should try?"

Nico nodded and tried to perform the spell. The feather shriveled. "Not again," he moaned. Sometimes, he would get the hang of spells…and sometimes, things like this would happen. He desperately hoped that he could get his problem under control before they began practicing spells on animals or people.

"I'm not sure who has the worse problem," Neville commented. "You or Seamus." As if on cue, Harry and Seamus's feather caught fire. A few moments later, Hermione succeeded at casting the spell, much to Ron's visible displeasure.

"I can do this," Nico muttered to himself. He shut his eyes, banishing all thoughts of the Underworld to the back of his mind. Then he opened his eyes and tried again. " _Wingardium Leviosa!_ " His shriveled feather rose off the desk to join Hermione's near the ceiling. Neville applauded.

* * *

After class, Hermione was in a bad mood. "Honestly," she grumbled quietly. "You'd think he wasn't even trying. And then I show him how to do it, and he acts like I've _insulted_ him. Would it kill him to pay attention? Or perhaps say 'thank you, Hermione, for helping me get the spell right'?"

"You're setting him a standard I don't think he can reach," Nico replied.

A few paces ahead of them, they could hear Ron complaining to Harry. "It's no wonder that psycho's the only one who can stand her…she's a nightmare, honestly."

Hermione froze in her tracks. Then she roughly pushed past Harry and hurried down the corridor. Nico hurried after her, pausing briefly to give Ron a particularly vicious death glare. "Hermione!" he called when he caught up. "Hermione, you don't seriously care what that idiot thinks?"

She whirled around to face him, tears in her eyes. "He's _right_ , though. You're the only friend I've ever had! What does that say about me?"

Nico stiffened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I've always been an outcast. When I found out I was a witch, I thought maybe that was why…but now I'm among my own kind, and I'm _still_ an outcast! Either there's something wrong with the world, or there's something wrong with _me_ …" Hermione choked out a sob, then dashed into a nearby bathroom.

Nico remained rooted to the spot. He wasn't entirely sure whether he should be insulted. The way Hermione had spoken, it was almost like _his_ friendship didn't count, didn't make her any less of a freak. And, after all, he _wasn't_ a normal wizard. He wasn't sure he could argue with her logic.

* * *

Hermione didn't show up to their last class, and Nico could barely focus. After class ended, he went straight up to the dormitory and collapsed onto his bed, cuddling Vescia. "You understand me, puffball, don't you?" he murmured. "You're like Bianca…always accepting me no matter what…and dead…" He choked back a sob.

He heard footsteps coming up the stairs. He had no interest in dealing with people right now, so he melted into the shadows of his curtains and appeared in his room in his father's palace. Vescia made the journey with him, still snuggled in his grasp. Nico let her go and buried his face in a black pillow, determined to hold back tears.

A noise eventually jerked him out of his misery. Persephone was standing in his doorway, holding Vescia and frowning in disapproval. "You brought an _animal_ into my palace?"

Nico glared at her. "It's my _father's_ palace, and Vescia is dead. It's the perfect place for her."

"Bad enough that I have shades for servants. I will not tolerate _pets_. Especially pets so hideous as… _this_."

"And yet she likes you," Nico pointed out. Vescia was indeed purring. "No accounting for taste."

"Excuse me?!" Persephone exclaimed angrily.

Nico rolled his eyes. "She's not digging up your flowerbeds, is she? Just stay out of my room and you won't have to look at either of us."

"Ah, but that's just the problem," Persephone retorted. "I found this… _thing_ …wandering the palace, distracting my handmaidens. They all abandoned their work to coo over it. _No accounting for taste_ , if you ask me."

"Cooing over _her!_ " Nico snapped. "Just because she's dead, that doesn't make her an 'it'! Cats have actual genders, unlike your stupid flowers!"

Persephone's eyes flared with a hint of color, and Nico realized he'd gone too far. "Well," she said in a clipped tone. "Since you're stupid, I suppose you would make an excellent flower. Much less troublesome, too." She snapped her fingers, and suddenly Nico felt himself shrinking. His arms turned into leaves and his hair turned into a multitude of yellow petals.

* * *

The next thing Nico knew, his father was shouting at Persephone. " _How_ many times, you do _not_ turn my children into flowers!"

"I tolerate your bastard children in the world above, but keeping one in the palace? Do the ancient laws mean nothing to you?"

"Zeus voided those laws when he—" Hades glanced at Nico and suddenly froze, apparently remembering that Nico was in the room and no longer a flower. "Don't you have classes? Go back to school!"

Hades waved a hand, and suddenly Nico and Vescia were in the Hogwarts dungeons. Nico almost punched a wall in frustration; his father had almost revealed something about his past, he was sure of it. Zeus had somehow interfered in Nico's (and possibly Bianca's) life to such a degree that Hades felt justified in housing his demigod child in his own palace.

A familiar sense of evil jolted Nico out of his thoughts. Either Harry or Quirrell was hurrying through a nearby corridor. Nico stealthily crept down the hall to investigate, fingering his ring. But before he could get close enough to identify the presence, a low groaning reached his ears. A low groaning, and the shuffling footsteps of massive feet. There was a monster in the dungeons.

Nico set aside his suspicions about Harry and Quirrell; he couldn't let this monster get near the other students. He transformed his ring into his sword and charged toward the sound.

The monster was a horrible sight. It was a lumpy gray humanoid about twelve feet tall, dragging a massive wooden club behind it. And it _stank_. Nico wasn't sure what it was, but he would gladly have gone his entire life without meeting it.

The monster noticed him immediately. It raised its club and tried to smash him, but he dodged and slashed at its knee. He landed a blow, but instead of disintegrating, the monster roared in fury and tried to crush him again. Nico hurriedly darted behind it and slashed the other knee. The monster staggered, but kept swinging. Nico dodged and slashed a third time. To his pleasure, he noted that the monster seemed to be weakening; its movements become more sluggish every time that Nico wounded it. A slash to the monster's thigh, and it could no longer stay on its feet. It tumbled to its knees, the club sliding out of its grip. Nico slit its throat for good measure.

The monster now definitively deceased, Nico stepped back to admire his handiwork. He hadn't realized how much he'd been itching for a proper fight. Fighting to the death was much less complicated than friendship.

"Nico?"

Nico whirled around to find Hermione staring at him, wide-eyed. Between the dead monster and the sword still in his hand, there was no hiding what had just happened. "Hermione…I…"

"Are you all right?"

Now it was Nico's turn to stare at her. Those words simply did not compute. "You…you just saw me kill something. With a sword I supposedly left in Gringotts."

"Nico, given how often you talk about fighting monsters, it wasn't much of a leap to guess that you've killed before. And the more I got to know you, the more I came to suspect that you wouldn't abandon your weapon so easily. I'm not…well, I'm surprised a troll got into the castle, but I'm not surprised you killed it."

"Right," Nico agreed despondently. Of course Hermione thought of him as a killer. "I suppose now you've got the proof you need to report me for carrying a weapon."

Hermione looked surprised. "Nico—"

Before she could finish her sentence, footsteps came pounding down the hallway. Nico hurriedly turned his sword back into his ring. Moments later, Professors McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell rounded the corner. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and slumped against the wall while clutching his heart. Vescia's hackles raised and she growled at him, eliciting another whimper. Nico picked her up before she could decide to attack.

Snape examined the troll while Professor McGonagall glared at Nico. "What on earth were you thinking of?" she demanded, cold fury in her voice. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"

Nico flinched, expecting to be expelled at any moment. Then Hermione stepped out from behind him. "Please, Professor McGonagall…he was looking for me."

"Miss Granger?" Professor McGonagall exclaimed in surprise.

Hermione lifted her chin as she continued. "I went looking for the troll because I…I thought I could deal with it on my own—you know, because I've read all about them. Nico followed me. He…" Hermione glanced nervously at him. "His cat saved us both. When the troll threatened Nico, she went berserk. She scratched up its legs and then leaped for the throat. I've never seen anything like it."

Professor McGonagall frowned at Vescia. "It seems you have a very dangerous creature, Mr. di Angelo. I question whether it is safe to keep her around other students."

Snape rose from his examination and joined them. "Professor McGonagall, if I may…" He cautiously offered his hand to Vescia. She sniffed it, then nuzzled him and purred. "It seems that she is only dangerous when her master is threatened. I hardly think it appropriate to punish the creature for saving two students' lives."

"Very well then," Professor McGonagall nodded. "Miss Granger, I am very disappointed in you. Five points will be taken from Gryffindor. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better return to Gryffindor Tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."

Hermione nodded and left, looking chastened.

Professor McGonagall turned to Nico. "Well, I still think it's a miracle that you weren't both killed, but it was highly commendable of you to try to save your friend from her own foolishness. You win five points for Gryffindor. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."

Nico nodded and followed Hermione, walking right past Quirrell. Vescia turned her head and growled again. Nico could have sworn he saw a contemplative expression on Quirrell's face before it was quickly masked with fear.

* * *

Hermione was waiting for him at the entrance of the dungeons. "Thanks," Nico said quietly.

"Nico, you may be my _only_ friend, but that doesn't make you any _less_ of a friend," Hermione said seriously. "I would never rat you out."

"But…why?" Nico dropped his gaze. "I'm a killer."

"That troll would have killed _you_ ," Hermione pointed out. "Would you kill anyone if it weren't a life-or-death situation?"

"…no."

"Then stop beating yourself up over it," Hermione said firmly. "You did what you had to. I'm not going to judge you. For anything." Nico looked up at her. She met his gaze, determination and sincerity burning in her eyes.

"Thanks," Nico said again. They began walking up the marble staircase. When they reached the top, Nico suddenly froze and turned to Hermione. "Why were you down in the dungeons, anyway?"

Hermione looked slightly guilty. "I…thought about what I'd said earlier, and realized you probably took it the wrong way. I was looking for you so I could apologize. Knowing you, I figured you'd go somewhere dark and gloomy."

"Huh. You _do_ know me," Nico agreed. And yet…she still cared enough to take a fall for him. For the first time since Bianca's death, he truly felt like he wasn't alone.


	7. Leo's Remote Does Everything

A few weeks later, it was time for the first Quidditch match of the year: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Harry, who was one of the Gryffindor players, didn't seem to have an appetite at breakfast. Ron and Seamus tried to coax him to eat while Nico watched from further down the table.

"Harry seems nervous," Nico noted unsympathetically.

"I don't blame him," Neville replied. "It's always the Seekers that get clobbered."

"What's that mean, Seeker? Everyone keeps going on about it."

"That means it's his job to find the Golden Snitch," Neville explained. "Catching it ends the game and wins a hundred and fifty points for the Seeker's team, so they usually win."

"Then what's the point of all the other players?" Nico asked, confused.

Neville shrugged. "Most Cups rank teams by total points earned over the season, not total matches won. So if you've got a team that came really close to winning several matches, and another team that won one match but got steamrollered in several others, then the first team places higher."

"Huh. Cool." Nico took another bite of toast.

"You hate flying, but now you're interested in Quidditch?" Hermione asked, a glint of amusement in her eyes.

Nico swallowed his mouthful. "Just because I can't play, that doesn't mean I can't have fun watching."

"And here I wasn't sure you even understood the concept of fun," Hermione teased.

Nico sobered. "Yeah, well, my favorite card game got my sister killed, so that kind of ruined it for me."

Neville gave him a weird look. "A card game got your sister killed?"

"Long story."

"Oh." There was an awkward pause. "I'm sorry about your sister."

"Thanks."

Having effectively killed the conversation, Nico finished his breakfast in silence. Hermione and Neville joined him when he stood up to go to the Quidditch pitch. They passed Harry on their way out of the Great Hall.

"Good luck, Harry," Neville said. "You're gonna do great."

"Thanks," Harry replied, staring at his full plate.

Nico smiled nastily. "I hear Seekers get attacked a lot. I look forward to seeing you knocked off your broom."

"Oh, shove off," Harry snapped. Nico turned and continued walking.

"That was uncalled for," Neville reproached.

"Don't expect me to be nice to him just because he's some sports star," Nico said grumpily.

* * *

Out in the Gryffindor section of the stands, they found seats by Leo Valdez. Fred and George were both on the team, so Leo was sitting by himself.

"Is it just me, or is it warmer on this bench?" Neville asked.

"I modified it to have built-in heating," Leo replied proudly. "Spectate in comfort, my friends."

"You modified it?" Hermione asked curiously. "How?"

"Science, engineering, a touch of fire magic and pure genius." Leo pulled a pair of quills and some wire out of his pocket and began fiddling with them. "Fred and George kept dragging me to all their practices last year, so I've ended up making a lot of improvements to the stands."

"Like what?" Nico wondered.

"I've got a remote control that can eject the teachers from their seats, create a smokescreen around the field, or shower the players in potato chips."

"Potato chips?" Hermione repeated in disbelief.

"Crisps to you Brits." Leo gave his quill-and-wire contraption an experimental spin. It briefly floated in the air, then gently landed in his lap.

"You're weird," Neville stated. "In a good way."

Leo flashed him an impish grin. "So I've been told."

Soon, the players walked onto the field, seven from each house. The Gryffindors wore red and the Slytherins wore green. Madam Hooch, the referee, stood in the middle of the field with her broomstick and her whistle. She spoke briefly to the team captains before the players mounted their brooms. Then she blew her whistle, and the game began.

Nico tried to follow what was happening, but the players moved very quickly and he didn't really know the rules. It didn't help that the commentator, Lee Jordan, kept going off topic and admiring one of the female Gryffindor players.

"Why are we cheering?" Nico whispered to Neville as the crowd erupted.

"Angelina got the Quaffle through the Slytherin hoops, so we win ten points," Neville explained.

Neville began explaining the rules in more depth as the game continued. The Slytherins had just scored their first goal when Hermione spotted something amiss. "What's Harry doing?" she wondered aloud.

Harry was flying higher and higher away from the game, his broom jerking strangely. Then it began rolling over. After a particularly wild jerk, Harry swung off his broom and was left hanging by one hand.

"He can't be doing that on purpose," Neville said, swallowing hard. "Someone must have tampered with his broomstick."

"Do you think he's going to fall?" Nico asked.

"Gee, could you sound a little more hopeful?" Leo said sarcastically, eyes on Harry. "I should have made everyone parachutes," he added under his breath.

"Must be some sort of curse," Hermione muttered, her eyes narrowed. "Probably requiring constant eye contact…"

"Eye contact?" Leo repeated, his face lighting up. "Easy fix for that." He pulled a remote out of his pocket and pressed a button. The field was suddenly obscured by smoke that smelled oddly of potato chips. A general outcry went up from the crowd as they tried to figure out what had happened.

After about a minute, the smoke dissipated to reveal Harry back on his broom and diving toward the ground. He suddenly clapped his hand to his mouth, looking like he was about to be sick. He hit the ground on all fours and coughed up something gold. "I've got the Snitch!" he yelled, waving it above his head. The Gryffindors burst into cheers.

* * *

Several hours later, the teachers gave up on figuring out where the smoke had come from. The Gryffindors gleefully began a party in Gryffindor Tower. Nico tried to slip away from the crowd, but Harry and Ron cornered him.

"So…what was that you were saying earlier about Harry falling off his broom?" Ron demanded, arms folded.

"You really think _I_ did that?" Nico retorted. "I'm allergic to broomsticks, or have you forgotten?"

"Allergic," Ron snorted. "That's an interesting way of putting it."

"Just because you can't fly on one, that doesn't mean you can't curse one," Harry added. "How many times have you been alone in our dormitory while my broomstick was in my trunk?"

Nico rolled his eyes. " _Please._ If I really wanted to sabotage your broomstick, I'd make you fall off during practice when there are fewer people around to save you. You have any other stupid accusations to make, or are we done here?"

Harry stepped aside, but continued giving Nico the stink-eye. "We're not done. Far from it."

Nico rolled his eyes again. "Whatever." He walked up to the dormitory and pulled out an Ancient Greek book about the first Titan War.

* * *

That night, Nico dreamed that Snape was pacing in an office full of moving paintings and spindly silver contraptions. Dumbledore sat behind a desk, watching Snape.

"…how long are you going to let this continue?" Snape was saying. "First the troll, and now this…he's endangering the students!"

"Unfortunately, we have no proof," Dumbledore replied. "If I sack a teacher without just cause, I'm sure Lucius Malfoy would be more than happy to have me removed on charges of wrongful termination, and then where would this school be?"

Snape glared at Dumbledore. "He provided a troll for the protections, then he apparently fainted in fear of a troll that mysteriously gained entrance to the castle. Is that not proof enough?"

"Circumstantial," Dumbledore said blandly.

"He tried to head toward the third floor on Halloween, I'm sure of it," Snape growled. "If Granger and di Angelo hadn't found that troll so quickly…"

"…then perhaps Quirrell would have gotten through the trap door that night," Dumbledore interrupted. "It does not do to dwell on what might have been. And besides, I fear that Quirrell is not alone. We must watch until we know more of this plot."

* * *

When he woke up, Nico immediately shadow-traveled to the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom, looking for something of Quirrell's. He found a spare turban in a desk drawer. He picked up the turban and shadow-traveled to the forbidden corridor. The three-headed dog wagged his tail and tried to give Nico a sloppy bath.

"Hey, there, buddy," Nico said softly. He held up the turban. "You smell this? Belongs to a very bad man. If he tries to get through that trap door, you bite him, understand?"

The dog cocked his heads.

Nico held up the turban again and growled slightly. "Bad turban. Bad man."

One of the heads growled in response.

Nico nodded. "Good boy."

Nico returned the turban to the desk where he'd found it, then shadow-traveled back to Gryffindor Tower. He collapsed into bed and slept until nearly noon, drained from so many shadow-jumps in quick succession.

* * *

Quirrell continued to act jumpy in classes, though Nico could swear that he sometimes caught Quirrell giving him suspicious looks. Harry glared at Nico whenever they were in the same room, a favor which Nico readily returned. Then as the Christmas holidays approached, Hermione invited Nico to come home with her for Christmas.

"No thanks," Nico replied. "I wouldn't want to attract monsters to your house."

"Is it really _that_ bad?" Hermione asked. "Even if you're not looking for trouble?"

"Trouble finds me. Thanks, but I'll stay at Hogwarts."

"I could stay too, then," Hermione offered. "I wouldn't want you to be stuck alone with Harry and Ron."

"No, go to your parents. At least you _can_ spend Christmas with them."

"If you're sure," Hermione said reluctantly.

* * *

The day before term ended, Hermione and Nico ran into Hagrid on their way to the library. "Oi, di Angelo, got a bone to pick with you," Hagrid said. "Harry and Ron tell me you tamed Fluffy. How'd you do that without music?"

"Fluffy?" Nico repeated, confused.

"Big dog? Three heads?"

"His name is _Fluffy_?" Hermione said incredulously.

"Yeah—he's mine—bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year—"

Nico frowned. "Did he happen to have three chests?"

Now it was Hagrid's turn to be confused. "Three chests?"

"Ran into a guy who was selling monsters on the black market last summer," Nico explained. "He tried to sell _me_ too."

Hagrid stared at him. "What were you doin', gettin' involved with black market dealers?"

"Long story," Nico shrugged.

"Didn't yer parents never warn yeh to be careful o' folks like that?"

Nico scowled. Hermione quickly spoke up. "Don't get him started on his parents. It's not a happy story."

Hagrid narrowed his eyes, then caved. "Fine. But yeh still haven' answered my question. How'd you tame Fluffy?"

"Not the first three-headed dog I've met. They just seem to like me."

"Yeh've met another three-headed dog?" Hagrid asked, looking interested. "Where?"

"I'm not here to discuss my life story," Nico said grumpily. "Can I go do my homework now?"

"Fine," Hagrid acquiesced. He moved out of the way.

* * *

A few hours later, Nico had finished his Potions homework and began skimming the Greek Potions textbook he'd found. "Amazing, the stuff you can make," he murmured to himself.

"Amazing, the things you can't spell," Hermione replied, proofreading his work and shaking her head. "Tell you what, I'm buying you a spell-checking quill for Christmas."

"They make those?" Nico asked, surprised.

"Yes. Just don't use it on exams though, that's considered cheating."

"Okay." Nico suddenly stiffened. "What are _you_ doing here, Harry?"

There was a moment's silence before Harry answered, still out of sight behind a bookshelf. "None of your business." His footsteps retreated.

"Do you realize how creepy it is when you do that?" Hermione complained. Nico had a disconcerting habit of greeting Harry when he shouldn't have known Harry was there.

Nico grinned wolfishly. "Wish I could see the look on his face."

Hermione sighed and continued proofreading Nico's homework. By now she was fairly certain that Nico really _could_ sense something off about Harry, though she wasn't sure what. Harry had survived the Killing Curse as a baby; that might give off a bad vibe to a child of Hades. Or maybe there was actually something evil about Harry.

"There's a Draught of Memory Restoration!" Nico exclaimed suddenly.

"What?"

"A potion that restores lost memories! If I could make that…hey!" The shadows suddenly darkened and swallowed Nico.

"Nico?" Hermione asked uncertainly. The shadows dissipated, but Nico's chair remained decidedly empty. "Nico?" Still nothing. Hermione swallowed and looked up at the ceiling. "Hades? Er…" She looked down at the floor instead. "Lord Hades…please give him back? I'm sure I could stop him from making the potion…or you could just make him forget he read that…or something…" She swallowed again. "Please don't take Nico away."

There was still no response. She waited until the library closed for the night, but Nico did not reappear.

* * *

The next day at breakfast, Hermione approached Neville. "Have you seen Nico?"

"Not since Charms yesterday, why?"

"He didn't come back to Gryffindor Tower last night?"

"I dunno. I went to bed early. Something wrong?"

Hermione grimaced. "I don't know."

* * *

As soon as Snape called the class to attention, he noticed Nico's absence. "Where is Mr. di Angelo?" he asked Hermione.

"I don't know, sir, I haven't seen him since he left the library last night." Hermione felt it was probably best not to mention _how_ Nico had left the library.

"I see." Snape turned to Harry. "Was he in your dormitory this morning?"

"No, sir."

"Did he return to your dormitory last night?"

"No, sir."

"And you didn't think to report this to a teacher?" Snape asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Er…no, sir."

"Your lack of concern for your classmate appalls me. Ten points from Gryffindor." Snape returned to his desk and gestured to the board. "You will be making an Herbicide potion today. I expect you to work diligently while I investigate Mr. di Angelo's disappearance."

* * *

By the end of the day, Hermione had been questioned by Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore as well, and there was still no sign of Nico. She reluctantly packed her trunk for the holidays, wondering if she would ever see her friend again.

* * *

Nico retrieved his kitten and his trunk before collapsing onto his bed in the Underworld, exhausted. Recovering his father's new sword had thoroughly sapped his energy. Still…they'd gained a potential ally that day. Nico resolved to spend Christmas vacation making friends with "Bob" the amnesiac Titan.

* * *

 **A/N: Just to be clear, Nico's disappearance was due to his involvement in the events of _Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades_.**


	8. Malfoy Meets Nico's Fist

When Hermione arrived back at school after the holidays, she immediately put her trunk in her dormitory and then set about searching for Nico. He wasn't in the Great Hall, the dungeons or the library. Dejected, Hermione returned to the common room and sat down at a window. She looked out at the swirling snowflakes, not really seeing them.

"Hi, Hermione. How was your holiday?"

Hermione jumped and whirled around, her heart leaping in hope, but her face fell when she realized it was Neville and not Nico speaking. "It was okay, I suppose. I got some decent presents. But I still don't know what happened to Nico. I tried sending him owls, but he never answered."

Neville frowned. "Huh. That's weird. You guys have a fight or something?"

Hermione stared at him in confusion. "What? No. He disappeared, remember?"

Neville returned her stare. "What are you talking about? He went back to America for Christmas, remember?"

And suddenly, Hermione _did_ remember. "Oh…right." She blinked a few times. "Why did I think he wasn't coming back?"

Neville shrugged. "Search me. He's been passed out on his bed since before I got here."

"Oh." Hermione blinked a few more times. "I suppose he must be jet lagged. Guess I'll see him in the morning, then." She went back upstairs to unpack.

* * *

Hades had promised to use the Mist to cover up Persephone kidnapping Nico (and he had also given Persephone quite a bit of grief about the entire sword incident). However, Nico was worried about how well it would work on Hermione—she had _seen_ Nico disappear, after all. When she sat across from him at breakfast the next morning, her scowl did nothing to ease Nico's nerves.

"Good morning, sunshine," she said coldly.

"Do I look sunny to you?" Nico retorted.

"I don't know. I haven't seen you since last term ended. You haven't so much as answered my owls. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Nico relaxed, though he forced himself not to show it. "I didn't get any owls. I was probably moving around too much for them to find me."

"And you didn't think to write to me at all?"

"I don't have an owl and I wouldn't know how to hire or rent one or whatever other wizards do," Nico replied, pretending to be sheepish.

"And you didn't think to ask before you left? You didn't think I might get worried when I don't hear from you? For all I knew, you'd finally been eaten by one of those monsters you keep going on about!"

Nico held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I'm sorry, okay? I'll try to write next time."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "You'll _try_?"

"If I find time."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him for a few moments, then sighed. "You'd better."

* * *

After Potions that Friday, Hermione began packing up her cauldron and ingredients. "Do you mind packing up mine as well?" Nico asked. "I want to talk to Professor Snape."

Hermione momentarily frowned, as if she were trying to remember something, but then her expression cleared and she nodded. "Sure."

"Thanks." Nico took a deep breath and approached the teacher. "Professor Snape?"

"Do you have a question about the lesson, Mr. di Angelo?"

"Not exactly. I did some reading during the holidays and I found the Draught of Memory Restoration. I…well, I don't like to talk about it, but I don't remember anything before last year. I thought about trying to make the Draught myself, but it looks very complicated and I don't want to get it wrong. I was wondering if maybe you could make it for me."

Snape looked surprised and a little awkward. Given the man's generally unpleasant demeanor, Nico suspected that students didn't normally approach him for extracurricular questions. "Well, I'm sorry to inform you, Mr. di Angelo, but that potion is only meant to sharpen the memory. It can bring back scattered details, perhaps aid recovery from a head injury, but it cannot overcome a Memory Charm. And I cannot see any other logical reason why you would be missing such a large portion of your memories."

Nico slumped in disappointment. "Isn't it still worth a try, though? Even if it doesn't give me back my full memory, it might help me remember some clue to my past."

"Very well," Snape relented. "But it will have to wait until I have time, and I make no promises about its effectiveness. Now, off you go. I believe Miss Granger is waiting for you."

* * *

A few weeks later, Nico and Hermione were holding one of their usual library study sessions when Neville bunny-hopped up to them, his legs stuck tight together. "Help?" he said desperately. "Please?"

Hermione immediately whipped out her wand and pointed it at Neville. " _Finite!_ "

Neville's legs sprang apart. He stumbled and clutched their table, drawing a shaky breath. "Thanks."

Nico frowned. "Neville, what happened?"

"Malfoy," Neville gasped out. "I met him just outside. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."

Nico immediately stood up. "Oh, that _μπάσταρδος_ …thinks he's so much better than everyone else…"

"Don't go taking revenge on him!" Neville pleaded. "I don't want any trouble."

" _Trouble?_ " Nico repeated incredulously. "He _cursed_ you, it's a little late for that!"

"You've got to stand up for yourself!" Hermione added. "Otherwise he'll keep walking all over you every chance he gets!"

"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville mumbled dejectedly.

"Don't say that!" Hermione urged.

"Name one time all year that I've done something brave!" Neville retorted helplessly.

"You petted Vescia," Nico recalled. "Our first night here, remember? I dared our entire dormitory to pet her, and you were the only one brave enough to do it."

"That's all you can come up with? I petted a cat?"

"An undead cat with glowing red eyes that had just attacked your classmate for no apparent reason."

Neville smiled weakly. "Yeah, I guess it was kinda brave. Can…can I go pet her some more?"

"Sure." Nico quickly gathered his things. "And I'll come with you, just in case Malfoy is still hanging around. If he tries to cast any more curses, he is going to have a very painful conversation with my fist."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Nico and Neville were sitting on Nico's bed and petting a very happy Vescia. "Where'd you get her, anyway?" Neville wondered.

"Pet shop," Nico shrugged. "The owner was quite glad to be rid of her, actually. Didn't even make me pay."

"She's really sweet, once you look past the…deadness…" Neville trailed off lamely.

Nico stiffened and glanced toward the doorway as he felt Harry approaching. Moments later, Harry's voice came through the open door. "We're never gonna find Flamel, at this rate…"

"Flamel?" Nico called suspiciously, recognizing the name as one he'd researched during his quest to revive Bianca. "You wouldn't happen to be talking about Nicolas Flamel, would you?"

Harry and Ron stopped in the doorway, eyeing Nico with equal suspicion. "I suppose _you_ know who he is?" Ron demanded aggressively.

Nico snorted humorlessly. "Of course I know who he is, the man's a legend."

Neville gave Nico a curious look. "Maybe he's a legend in America, but I've never heard of him."

"Really?" Nico said in surprise. "He's not American, he's French. He's an alchemist who made a Philosopher's Stone and he's used it to keep himself and his wife alive for over six hundred years. It's the only Philosopher's Stone left in existence, now." Nico glared at Harry again. "Why are you trying to find Flamel?"

"Why do you think?" Harry said waspishly. He and Ron went back downstairs, heads close together as they no doubt discussed what had just happened.

For a few moments, there was tense silence. Then Neville broke it. "So…that Stone sounds pretty neat."

Nico's expression twisted in disgust. "It's unnatural. People aren't meant to live that long."

"So you're saying you wouldn't want a Philosopher's Stone?"

"Only in order to destroy…it…" Nico trailed off as the puzzle pieces came together. Dumbledore had met with a man named _Nicolas_. "Oh gods. That's what the three-headed dog is guarding. It's guarding the Philosopher's Stone!"

"How d'you figure _that_?"

"I…sometimes have dreams about current events," Nico reluctantly admitted. "And yes, I'm completely sure they're not just dreams. Dumbledore was talking to a man named Nicolas about something dangerous that was nearly stolen. And he thinks that Quirrell and possibly an accomplice are still looking to steal it."

Neville's eyes widened. "Quirrell? But he seems so…"

"Twitchy? I'm betting it's an act to throw off suspicion."

"So what do we do?"

"I've been keeping an eye on him. I'd like to think Dumbledore has the situation under control, but if I'm having dreams about it, I'm probably going to end up getting involved whether I want to or not."

* * *

When Hermione arrived at their first class the next day, she approached Nico and glared at him. "So…what's this Neville tells me about you having psychic dreams and never saying a word to me?"

Nico groaned. "I didn't know I was required to tell you everything about me."

"I've told you all about my troubles at my past school, but I feel like you only tell me about yourself when I ask you a direct question. Sometimes not even then—and let's not forget that you didn't bother writing all through the Christmas holidays. Are we friends or not?!"

Nico winced. "Of course we're friends, I just don't like talking about myself. Hogwarts is downright normal compared to my life in America, I don't want to bring all that craziness here."

Hermione lowered her voice. "And the fact that someone's trying to steal a Philosopher's Stone, _at Hogwarts?_ You didn't think _that_ was worth mentioning?"

"I only figured out about the Stone last night!" Nico defended.

"Yes, but you knew _something_ was going on!"

"Even if I had told you, what exactly could you have done about it?"

"I don't know, but you don't seem to have done much either! Would it kill you to keep me in the loop?"

Nico winced guiltily. "Fine. If I find out anything else about the Stone, I promise I'll tell you. Deal?"

Hermione nodded, still looking upset. "Deal."

* * *

A few weeks later, it was time for the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Nico was heading through the entrance hall toward the Quidditch pitch when Snape stopped him. "Mr. di Angelo. I have something for you." He held out a small vial of potion.

Nico took it. "Thank you, Professor Snape."

Snape nodded. "Good luck." He turned and continued walking toward the Quidditch pitch.

Nico, however, had lost interest in the match. He went upstairs to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom for privacy, then he uncorked the potion and downed it in one gulp. Immediately he doubled over and clutched his head. Images were tumbling through his mind faster than he could comprehend, as if he were standing in a fast-flowing river of memory. He tried to retain what he saw, but his head ached from the effort and the images were gone as quickly as they came. Eventually the flood stopped, leaving him gasping.

"Nico?" Myrtle asked, hovering outside her stall and looking concerned. "Are you all right?"

"Fine, I think," Nico replied. "But that didn't work as well as I'd hoped."

Myrtle stared blankly at him. "Huh?"

"I was hoping that potion would help me get my memory back," Nico explained.

Myrtle continued staring blankly. "Talk English please?"

"I _am_ talking English!…aren't I?" Nico suddenly wondered if he'd been talking in Greek.

"Maybe you should see the nurse," Myrtle suggested. "Unless that was _supposed_ to make you talk foreign?"

Nico concentrated on speaking English. "Sorry. Do you understand me now?"

"Yes. What _was_ that?"

"Draught of Memory Restoration."

"Did it work?"

Nico sadly shook his head. "The only new thing I remember is an underground river of black water. I think…I think I must have lost my memories to the River Lethe. I'm pretty sure that's irreversible."

"Oh. I'm so sorry." Myrtle floated forward and gave him a hug. "Maybe you can still find out what you're missing, even if you never remember it."

"I hope so. I'm not giving up."

* * *

Meanwhile, Hermione and Neville had sat by Leo again. They were soon joined by Ron, who looked suspiciously at them before sitting on Leo's other side. "Where's Nico?" Ron asked.

"Don't know," Hermione shrugged. "He's probably coming."

Neville leaned forward. "What's _Snape_ doing down there? And where's Madam Hooch?"

"Didn't you know?" Leo said, surprised. "Snape has had a sudden, inexplicable desire to be a Quidditch referee. And obviously he won't be biased at all." Leo rolled his eyes.

"Well _this_ is gonna be fun," Neville moaned.

"I've never seen Snape look so mean," Ron commented. "Aaaand they're off—ouch!" Malfoy had poked him in the back of the head.

"Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there," Malfoy sneered. "Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on his broom this time. Anyone want a bet? What about you, Weasley?"

Ron didn't answer, intently watching the field. Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty on a flimsy excuse. Wood blocked the shot. A few minutes later, Snape awarded another unfair penalty.

"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" Malfoy said loudly. "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money—you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains."

Neville went bright red but turned to face Malfoy. "At least I've got actual friends as opposed to goons." Crabbe and Goyle scowled at him.

Malfoy sneered again. "Yeah? Where's di Angelo? You have a fight with your boyfriend, Granger?"

"He's not my boyfriend," Hermione snapped. "I don't think of him that way and I'm pretty sure he doesn't think of _me_ that way either. Besides, our relationship or lack thereof is none of your business."

"Yeah, right," Malfoy snorted. "You're just his little slu—"

WHAM! Malfoy flew backwards into Crabbe, his nose broken. Nico loomed over him, a terrifying expression on his face. "You will never insult Hermione Granger again, do you understand?"

Goyle raised his fists, obviously preparing to fight. Nico lunged for him and swiftly pinned one arm to his side and the other to his back.

"Don't try that on me," Nico hissed angrily. "I could take on all three of you if I had to. And quite frankly, I'd love an excuse to prove it."

The crowd around them erupted into wild cheers. This distracted Nico just long enough for Goyle to free himself.

"Woo!" Leo cheered. "That's got to be a record! Fastest Snitch catch ever!"

"Gryffindor takes the lead!" Hermione added.

"In your face, Malfoy!" Ron yelled. Malfoy and his goons slunk away, scowling at the field.

"Did I just miss the entire match?" Nico sighed.

"Yeah, pretty much," Hermione laughed. "But thanks."

* * *

That evening, Harry marched up to Nico in the dormitory, causing Vescia to growl. "What did Snape give you this morning?"

Nico restrained Vescia, glaring at Harry. "I'm sorry, I must have missed the part where that's any of your business."

"Snape's threatening Quirrell over the Philosopher's Stone, and earlier he gave an unknown potion to one of the only students he actually likes. Seems like a pretty valid question to me."

"It was a personal matter that had nothing to do with the Stone, and I hope the threats worked. Now leave me alone, or I let go of my cat."

"You don't fool me, Nico," Harry hissed before retreating to his own bed.

"And you can never hide from me," Nico retorted. He shut his curtains. "Good night."


	9. What Did Unicorns Ever Do to You?

Nico caught himself staring at Hermione again. Ever since Malfoy's taunts at the Quidditch game, Nico had found himself seriously thinking about their relationship. Hermione was closer to him than anyone had been since Bianca's death, and he admired her kindness and intelligence…but every time he tried to imagine something romantic like holding hands or a sunset stroll, his mind supplied an image of Percy instead of Hermione. What was _wrong_ with him?

"Nico!" Hermione said, interrupting his thoughts. "Nico, will you focus?!"

"I have ADHD, I can't focus," Nico responded, in the mood to be contrary.

"You focus well enough in Charms and Potions, I know you can do it," Hermione retorted. "And you have your Greek history textbook with you, so don't tell me you need me to read for you. Exams are just around the corner, you _need_ to study!"

"I don't get this whole standoff between the Chinese and Russian wizards," Nico muttered.

"Think of it like the Cold War," Hermione suggested.

"I must have missed that lesson. A war of ice magic?"

"What? No. That's from Muggle history. Didn't you have history class at your old school?"

"Sure, we had history class—the Revolutionary War, the war of 1812, the Civil War…it was a military school, we studied a lot of wars. But no Cold War."

Hermione sighed. "Okay. Have you ever heard of nuclear weapons?"

Nico frowned. "Nuclear weapons? Like, atomic bombs? I thought those were just rumors."

Hermione gave him a strange look. "Uh, no. Don't you know _anything_ about World War II?"

"I know plenty!" Nico said defensively. "Mussolini, Hitler, invading France, the Ethiopian campaign, soldiers coming back with shell shock…what?"

Hermione was staring at him. "Could you say all that in English, please?"

"Oh. Sorry." Nico concentrated on speaking English, then repeated himself.

Hermione began to look thoughtful. "So you've never heard of Hiroshima or Nagasaki?"

"No?"

"What about D-Day?"

"No…" Nico stiffened as a thought occurred to him. "Uh…how long did the war last?"

"Six years," Hermione answered, her eyes narrowed. "From 1939 to 1945."

" _Six_ years," Nico repeated to himself, surprised. All this time, he'd thought the war lasted _three_ years…he must have gone into the hotel three years into the war. "Um, anyway…we were talking about Chinese and Russian wizards. Standoff?"

"Right." Hermione flipped through her textbook and began explaining the reading from their History of Magic assignment.

* * *

A few days later, they arrived at the greenhouses to find Ron ranting at Harry. "Hurts worse than that time Fred turned my teddy bear into a giant spider, and I remember thinking I was going to die…"

"Something wrong with your hand?" Hermione asked, noticing that Ron's right hand was severely swollen.

"Got bitten by a dog," Ron said gruffly. "It's nothing."

"That's not a dog bite," Nico said, narrowing his eyes. "I've been bitten by a few dogs. Your hand shouldn't be _that_ swollen." He roughly pulled aside Ron's makeshift bandage for a better look. "Greenish tinge. Whatever bit you, it was venomous. What the Styx have you been _doing_?"

"Shove off," Ron snapped, rewrapping his hand.

"Ron, have you seen Madam Pomfrey about that?" Hermione asked, concerned.

"I'm _fine_."

"No, you are _not_ fine, and whatever you're hiding, it can't possibly be worth dying for! Come _on_!" Hermione grabbed Ron's good hand and hauled him away to the hospital wing.

Nico and Harry watched them for a few moments, then turned to each other. "I'm not telling you what bit him, so don't bother asking," Harry said curtly.

"Well, at least I know it wasn't Fluffy the three-headed dog," Nico retorted before walking away.

* * *

"Is this some ploy to get me alone and interrogate me?" Ron demanded as Hermione dragged him through the front doors.

Hermione did not slow her pace. "I know perfectly well you wouldn't answer me if I did, and I also know perfectly well that you're too stubborn to get that bite looked at before it kills you!"

"Why should you care? We're not friends. We don't even like each other."

"Doesn't mean I want to see you dead."

"What's Nico going to think?"

Hermione finally stopped and whirled to face him. "Not everything I do is about him! It's him and Harry who really hate each other, anyway. I've tried to stay out of that, and I'm certainly not going to watch you kill yourself with stupidity just because you're Harry's friend!" She turned back around and continued dragging Ron to the hospital wing.

"…thanks," Ron said quietly after a few minutes.

"Don't mention it."

* * *

Saturday night, Nico had a new dream. A cloaked figure (it was Quirrell, he was sure of it) glided through a dark and foreboding forest. Something white darted through the trees ahead. Quirrell pursued it relentlessly. Eventually he reached a clearing, and Nico saw that his prey was a beautiful unicorn. Quirrell raised his wand and cast a spell. The unicorn squealed in pain.

Nico jerked awake, shaken by what he'd seen. He was no expert on unicorns, but he got the feeling he had just witnessed something unspeakably evil.

And speaking of unspeakable evil…he couldn't sense Harry in the room, or anywhere nearby.

Nico immediately traveled to the forbidden corridor. Fluffy was sound asleep on the trap door, and neither Harry nor Quirrell was anywhere nearby. Nico exited the corridor and began searching the castle on foot. He kept to the shadows, wary of patrolling teachers. Slowly, he made his way back to the upper levels of the castle.

Nothing. At one point, Nico thought he heard footsteps and a bestial growl, but even with his excellent night vision he couldn't see anyone there. He _definitely_ didn't sense Harry. He gave up and began walking back to Gryffindor Tower.

He froze in his tracks when he heard Professor McGonagall's voice coming from around a corner. "Really, how many students am I going to find out of bed tonight? Mr. Longbottom, what on _earth_ are you doing?"

"Draco Malfoy is out here somewhere!"

"I have already caught Mr. Malfoy, and that does not excuse your own nighttime wanderings!" Professor McGonagall sighed. "Come with me to my office, we will discuss this there."

Nico remained rooted to the spot, torn between curiosity and the desire to stay out of trouble. The latter won out. He could always ask Neville about this in the morning.

* * *

On the way to breakfast the next morning, Nico and Hermione passed the hourglasses which recorded house points and stopped in their tracks. How had they lost _one hundred and fifty_ points overnight?

In the Great Hall, Harry and Ron were sitting with Fred, George and Leo, all looking dejected. Neville was sitting by himself, and no one seemed to want to sit near him. Nico and Hermione joined him.

"You don't want to sit with me," Neville mumbled. "I'm one of the people who lost fifty points last night, no one will like you if you sit with me."

"They barely like us anyway," Nico shrugged. "What _happened_? Who were the other two?"

"Yesterday, I heard Malfoy saying that Harry was going to be taking a dragon to the Astronomy Tower. I tried to go warn Harry, but McGonagall caught me. Filch caught Harry and Leo, who did _not_ have a dragon with them…McGonagall thinks they made up the story to trick Malfoy into wandering around at night and getting into trouble. Just my luck that I fell for it too."

Nico glanced at Ron. "Dragons can be venomous. Could be what bit Ron the other day. Wonder why Leo got involved, though…"

"He lives with the Weasleys, he's practically Ron's brother," Hermione commented. "Though I would expect Fred and George to get involved too…"

"Who knows." Nico turned back to Hermione and Neville. "I had another dream last night. Quirrell was skulking through a forest and then he attacked a unicorn."

"Why would he attack a unicorn?" Neville asked blankly.

"I think I'd better read up on unicorns," Hermione decided.

* * *

That night at dinner, Hermione walked up to the Gryffindor table and plopped herself down next to Nico with an expression of utter disgust. "How could he _do_ that? How could _anyone_ do that?"

"Uh…mind sharing with the rest of us?" Neville asked.

"Drinking the blood of a unicorn will preserve your life even if you're on the brink of death, but it comes with a cost. Unicorns are so pure and innocent that killing one invokes a curse. From the moment the blood touches your lips, you will only have a half-life."

"What's that mean?" Nico wondered, confused.

"Not sure. None of the books would go into details. I'm guessing that means something _bad_."

"Hmm." Nico idly wondered if his father might know more. Unicorn blood sounded suspiciously like a means of cheating death. But Nico wasn't quite curious enough to ask.

"Wait," Neville said, interrupting Nico's thoughts. "First the Stone, now the unicorn blood…Quirrell's clearly going after powerful magic that can keep you alive through anything. But why? Quirrell doesn't seem to be dying in the first place."

"Good question," Hermione mused, glancing at the teachers' table, where Quirrell was picking at his dinner. He looked a little pale, but not deathly so.

* * *

Two weeks later, Nico had another dream. A unicorn staggered through the woods, silver blood dripping down its side. It thrashed around, crying out in agony and leaving pools of blood on the roots of a nearby tree. Then it heaved in a deep breath and tried to gallop away.

It didn't get far. The unicorn's legs gave out in a nearby clearing. It fell to the ground, making quiet moaning noises. Suddenly, it looked straight at Nico.

Nico woke up, swallowing back bile. Once again, Harry wasn't in the room. After a moment's hesitation, Nico quickly dressed and shadow-traveled to the clearing he'd seen in his dream. The unicorn was there, and it was dead.

Nico knelt to examine it, but stopped when he felt evil approaching. He quickly hid behind a nearby tree. As the evil came closer, he realized it was coming from _two_ sources—both Harry _and_ Quirrell. Nico withdrew further into the shadows.

Suddenly, there was a terrible scream. Nico cautiously looked out from behind his tree to see a hooded figure bent over the unicorn. Harry was standing on the other side of the clearing and staring at the sight, apparently transfixed. Then he spotted Nico. Their gazes locked, filled with equal horror and hatred.

The moment ended when Nico pulled back into the shadows and traveled to his bed. He quickly climbed under his covers and clutched Vescia, shaking. Try as he might, he could not fall back asleep, even after shadow-traveling twice in one night. He lay awake, staring at the shadows of his curtains.

* * *

What felt like an eternity later, his curtains were suddenly jerked back. "What were you doing in the forest?" Harry hissed.

"Been here all night," Nico lied. "Ask the Fat Lady, I haven't left Gryffindor Tower."

"I know what I saw," Harry insisted.

"Well clearly you saw wrong. Now leave me alone and go to bed!"

"Hmph." Harry closed the curtains again and went to his own bed.

* * *

At breakfast, Nico recounted events to Hermione and Neville, though he pretended that Harry had been part of the dream too. "I _knew_ Harry was up to something," he finished. " _He's_ Quirrell's mystery accomplice."

"Uh, Nico…Harry was in the forest because he had detention last night," Neville said. "Him, me, Leo and Malfoy. We were helping Hagrid find the unicorn. Second one that's been hurt this month, apparently."

"If all four of you had detention in the forest, why was Harry the only one I saw? Was he with you the whole time?"

"Er…no," Neville admitted. "We split up to look. But the fact that Harry succeeded doesn't mean he was in league with Quirrell."

"Convenient that he was the one who managed to find it, then."

" _Why_ are you two so determined to believe the worst of each other?" Neville said, frustrated.

Nico glanced at Harry. "I've learned to trust my instincts."

"Well can your instincts tell you why either Harry _or_ Quirrell would feel a need to drink unicorn's blood?" Neville challenged.

Nico was silent for a few moments, then he dropped his gaze. "No."

"There's something else going on here," Neville insisted. "Something you're both missing."

* * *

 **A/N: Quick note about Nico's former history curriculum—since he left Westover Hall halfway through the school year, his history class hadn't yet reached the decades he missed.**


	10. Isn't Teamwork Fun?

Nico wished his father would consign all exams to the depths of Tartarus. Professor McGonagall had arranged for Nico to be given extra time on written exams because of his dyslexia, but the combined stress of Quirrell and the exams was causing it to flare worse than ever. During the Herbology exam, Professor Sprout had to give him a new quill because he'd inadvertently made his original one shrivel to the point of uselessness.

Practical exams went a little better, though they were still nerve-wracking. For Transfiguration, Nico successfully turned a mouse into a snuffbox, though Professor McGonagall looked slightly disturbed by the pattern of skulls which covered the box. He also succeeded at making a pineapple tap dance across a desk for Professor Flitwick and at brewing a Forgetfulness Potion for Snape. Herbology seemed to be a lost cause; the Bouncing Bulbs insisted on attacking Nico.

After their last exam ended, Hermione cajoled Nico into coming outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. "Honestly, Nico, you look like you've never been in the sun in your life."

"For all I know, for ten years I wasn't."

"All the more reason to get some sun now."

"Fine."

Soon, they were sitting near the lake in the shade of the Forbidden Forest (Nico refused to stop and relax in direct sunlight). Hermione had pulled out her history book and was going over their History of Magic exam paper. Nico stared at the lake, wondering how Percy was doing. There were only a few months until Percy's sixteenth birthday, and he still refused to bathe in the Styx. Nico would have to convince him soon…

Before he knew it, the light breeze and peaceful sounds of the lake had lured Nico to sleep. He immediately slipped into a dream.

"Can't this wait for the end of term, Albus?" Professor McGonagall fretted.

"No, they are very insistent that I address this _now_ , before the students ride the carriages to Hogsmeade," Dumbledore replied with a sigh. "They've heard about the troubles with the unicorns and now they fear the Hogwarts thestrals are responsible."

"But that's absurd," Professor McGonagall objected. "The thestrals and unicorns have always coexisted peacefully."

"There are many misconceptions about thestrals," Dumbledore said with another sigh. "Perhaps if I bring a thestral, I can set them straight. I'll only be gone a day or two."

"I hope you're right," Professor McGonagall said worriedly.

The dream shifted to show Quirrell listening outside the door. "Tonight, my lord," he murmured quietly. "It shall be done."

Nico's eyes flew open. Neville had sat down next to Hermione, and the two of them were having an animated discussion about Herbology. Nico pushed himself upright and looked at them. "Tonight. Quirrell intends to steal the Stone tonight. He's lured Dumbledore out of the castle."

Hermione gasped. "We've got to tell a teacher!"

"And say what? It's my word against his, and my only evidence is my dreams. Who do you think the teachers will believe?"

"So you're going to let him get away with it?" Neville asked incredulously.

"Of course not. I've got to get to the Stone before he does. Shouldn't be too hard, Fluffy loves me."

"Nico, I doubt he's the only protection," Hermione said worriedly. "Something that powerful and dangerous, they probably only put Fluffy there as the first line of defense."

Nico grimaced, realizing Hermione had a point. "I'll deal with it. I can handle myself."

"Maybe you can, but it'd be better if you had help," Hermione stated. "I'm coming with you."

"Me too," Neville added. "We're your friends, Nico, you don't have to do everything alone."

Nico looked between the two of them, exasperated. If they came along with him, he'd have to either refrain from using his demigod abilities or else risk revealing himself. "It'll be dangerous. I'm used to danger, you guys aren't."

"And we've just received the same year of training that you have," Hermione retorted. "We're coming with you, and that's final."

"When do we go?" Neville added.

Nico sighed. "Tonight, once people are in bed."

Hermione nodded. "Don't you dare slip away without us," she said threateningly.

Nico sighed again. "I won't, I promise."

* * *

That night, Nico and Neville pretended to go to bed early. They waited a few hours, during which the other Gryffindor first years trickled up to bed. Finally, Nico prodded Neville and the two of them quietly walked down to the common room, where Hermione was waiting for them. They all looked at each other, then nodded and climbed out of the portrait hole.

The darkened castle was deserted. Hermione and Neville were on edge, jumping at every noise, but Nico remained focused on his goal. He did not so much as falter until they encountered Peeves loosening the carpet on a staircase. Neville cringed and let out a small whimper.

"Students out of bed," Peeves said, narrowing his beady black eyes. "You're not supposed to be here."

"I have important business to attend to," Nico said authoritatively. "You will let us pass, and you will tell no one that you saw us."

"O-of course, your Lordship, sir." Peeves zoomed away.

"Wonder why he's so scared of you," Neville whispered.

"Just be glad he is," Nico responded.

They reached the forbidden corridor without further incident. The door was ajar. "Should've left earlier," Nico muttered, pushing it open.

Inside, a harp lay abandoned by the trap door. Fluffy was pacing and growling. Nico hurried forward to soothe him.

"Wonder what the harp is for," Neville said.

"Hagrid once said something about taming Fluffy with music," Hermione commented.

"Orpheus," Nico muttered to himself. "He charmed Cerberus—GAH!" He nearly jumped out of his skin and whirled around. Harry and Ron had appeared, Harry holding a cloak made of some silvery material. "Where in Tartarus did _you_ come from?" Nico demanded, his heart racing. He hadn't sensed Harry's approach at all.

"Invisibility Cloak," Harry explained. "Very handy for following people who are behaving very suspiciously."

Nico frowned at the Cloak. Clearly its powers went beyond mere invisibility, if it was able to shield Harry from Nico's Underworld senses. But there were bigger problems right now. "I don't know. _You_ seem pretty suspicious to me."

" _You're_ the one trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone!" Harry snapped.

" _Me?_ " Nico said incredulously. "I'm trying to _protect_ the Stone! You're the thief!"

"Guys!" Neville interrupted. "Someone has clearly come through already, so how about we all just focus on getting the Stone and protecting it from whoever we're following!"

Nico and Harry breathed heavily, glaring daggers at each other. Finally, Nico relented. "After you."

"After _you_ ," Harry countered.

"After _you_. I'm the only one who can keep Fluffy under control."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Fine." He walked over to the trap door and opened it, peering through the hole. "Can't see the bottom. No way to climb down either. We'll all have to jump." He took a deep breath. "Here goes, then…" He lowered himself through the trap door, then let go of the edge. A few moments later, his voice came from somewhere far below. "It's okay, it's a soft landing!"

"Okay." Ron took a deep breath, then jumped after Harry. Hermione followed, then Neville. Nico debated shadow-traveling to the bottom, but decided there was too great a chance his classmates would notice. He gave Fluffy one last pat, then jumped. Cold air whistled past him until he landed on something soft and somewhat leafy.

Wait. Leafy?

Vines instantly snaked up around him and tried to crush him. Abandoning secrecy, Nico shadow-traveled to a patch of stone floor by the wall. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately), no one noticed; they were all too busy trying to untangle themselves from the vines.

"Wait!" Neville cried. "I know what this is! It's Devil's Snare!"

"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help!" Ron said sarcastically, trying to stop the plant curling around his neck.

"You need to repel it with fire!" Neville continued. "Can anybody reach their wand?"

"I can," Nico answered. He pulled out his wand. " _Incendio!_ " A few sparks flew out of his wand, then the plant began withering and pulling away from him. Its grip loosened enough for the other four to free themselves.

"Well, I guess that works too," Neville muttered, rubbing his wrists. "Who knew your _lack_ of a green thumb could come in handy…"

"Didn't mean to do that, though," Nico replied, staring ruefully at the Devil's Snare.

"Come on," Harry said curtly, pointing at a narrow stone passage that seemed to be the only way forward. The group entered the passage. Water dripped down the walls and the passage steadily sloped downwards. Nico briefly shut his eyes and inhaled the scent of damp stone. The deeper they went, the more he was in his element.

"Can you hear something?" Neville asked suddenly.

The group paused to listen. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.

"Do you think it's a ghost?" Ron suggested.

"No," Nico said firmly. "Sounds more like wings."

"There's light ahead," Hermione observed. "I can see something moving."

They reached the end of the passageway and found themselves in a brightly-lit chamber with a very high ceiling. It was full of small birds, glittering and flittering around the room. In the center of the opposite wall, a heavy wooden door blocked their advance.

"Do you think they attack people who cross the room?" Neville asked nervously.

"Knowing my luck, they'll all focus on me and ignore the rest of you," Nico replied.

"Great!" Harry said cheerfully. "You go first, then!"

Nico glared at him, then slowly walked across the room. Nothing happened. The other four followed, also without incident. Nico tried the door and found it firmly locked.

Hermione pulled out her wand. " _Alohamora!_ " The door still did not budge.

"Now what?" Ron wondered.

"These birds…they can't be here just for decoration," Hermione mused.

Nico squinted up at them. There was something odd about the way the light reflected off of them… "They're not birds," he realized. "They're _winged keys_."

"Look!" Harry cried, pointing at a corner of the room. Three broomsticks were propped against the wall. "We've got to fly up and catch the key to the door!"

"But there are _hundreds_ of them!" Hermione protested.

Ron examined the lock. "We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one…probably silver, like the handle." He and Harry each grabbed a broomstick and took off. Nico, Hermione and Neville watched from the ground.

After a few minutes, Harry spotted something. "There! The big one, with the bright blue wings! The feathers are all crumpled on one side!"

"I see it!" Ron called back. He and Harry tried to capture the key, but it swooped around and evaded them. "A little help?" Ron called down.

Nico walked over to the last broomstick. "I wonder…"

"Nico, no!" Hermione cried. "You know what happens when you get near a broomstick!"

Nico ignored her, gingerly brushing his hand against the handle. Nothing happened. He gripped the broom more firmly, still without consequence. "Ha," he breathed triumphantly. "I'm _underground_."

Nico mounted the broom and pushed off. His movements were a bit jerky, but he kept his seat. He circled around underneath the key while Ron came at it from above. The key tried to fly sideways to avoid them both, but Harry zeroed in on it and caught it.

The three of them quickly landed and ran to the door. Harry stuffed the key into the lock and turned it. The moment the lock clicked open, the key escaped Harry's grasp and flew back up to join the others. The five students walked through the door.

The next chamber was initially darkened. But as soon as Harry's foot crossed the threshold, light flooded the room to reveal a bizarre sight. They were standing at the edge of a giant chessboard with man-sized pieces. The black chessmen stood on their side; the white chessmen guarded the far side of the room.

"Now what?" Neville whispered.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Ron replied. "We've got to play our way across the room."

"How?" Hermione asked nervously.

"I think we're going to have to be chessmen…" Ron walked up to the chessboard and put his hand on a black knight. The piece instantly sprang to life and looked down at Ron. Ron swallowed. "Do we—er—have to join you to get across?"

The black knight nodded.

Ron turned back to the group. "This needs thinking about. I suppose we've got to take the places of five of the black chess pieces…and playing with five pieces you can't lose is a serious handicap…"

"Well, one of us has to be the king, then," Nico concluded. "You can't lose that piece anyway, or you lose the whole game. And at the very least, none of us should be pawns."

"Whoever's best at chess should be the king," Hermione added.

"That's probably you, Ron," Harry said. He glanced at the others. "Unless one of you wants to argue?"

Nico, Hermione and Neville all shook their heads.

"Okay," Ron decided. "I'll be the king, Hermione will be the queen, Harry will be a bishop, Neville will be a knight, and Nico will be a castle."

As soon as he finished speaking, the black pieces he named turned around and walked off the board. The five students took their places.

"By the way, Ron, I know how to play chess, so I'll know if you're trying to get me or Hermione taken out," Nico said threateningly.

"I won't," Ron promised, his expression grim. He looked across the room. "White always plays first in chess. Yes…look…" A white pawn had moved forward two squares. Ron began directing the black pieces.

After several moves, Nico had a sudden unpleasant thought. "Uh…what happens if we lose a piece?"

"You'll probably see soon enough," Ron said grimly.

Sure enough, a few moves later they lost their other knight. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay perfectly still.

"Had to let that happen," Ron said shakily. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Nico, go on."

Before long, there was a pile of battered pieces of both colors at the edge of the board. Nico cringed every time a black piece was taken, but Ron seemed to know what he was doing. The ranks of white pieces thinned just as surely as the black ones.

"We're nearly there," Ron murmured quietly. "Let me think…let me think…"

The white queen turned her blank face toward him.

"No," he muttered to himself. "Not that…it _can't_ be the only way…"

"What can't be the only way?" Neville asked.

"It doesn't matter. I'll think of something else."

" _What_ can't be the only way?" Nico demanded.

Ron swallowed. "If I sacrifice Neville, then Harry will be able to checkmate the king."

Nico, Harry and Hermione all erupted into protests.

"What?"

"No!"

"That is _not_ an option!"

"GUYS!" Neville interrupted, raising his voice. "Don't I get a say? We don't have time to waste. If this is the only way, then so be it. Just don't kill each other without me there to mediate, okay?" And before any of them could protest further, he stepped forward and made his move.

The white queen pounced. She struck Neville across the head with her stone arm, knocking him out. Hermione screamed, but stayed on her square. The white queen dragged Neville off the board, where he lay ominously still.

Shaking, Harry moved three spaces diagonally. "Checkmate."

The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. Chessmen of both colors parted and bowed, leaving the door clear. Ron raced to Neville's side. "Come on, you're okay…please be okay…"

"Is he all right?" Nico called.

"He's breathing."

"We should go," Harry said worriedly. "We don't have any more time to waste."

"You guys go," Ron said. "This is all my fault, I'm not leaving him."

Harry, Hermione and Nico nodded and continued through the opposite door. "What if he _does_ die?" Hermione fretted.

"He won't," Nico said confidently. If Neville really was dying, surely Nico would have sensed it.

Meanwhile, Harry was muttering to himself. "Sprout must have done the Devil's Snare…Flitwick must have charmed the keys…McGonagall must have transfigured the chessmen…that leaves Quirrell and Snape…"

"What are you talking about?" Nico asked.

"Should be two more defenses," Harry explained.

At that moment, they reached another door. Harry pushed it open and immediately covered his nose. Nico and Hermione followed suit. Another troll lay on the floor of the next room, out cold with a bloody lump on its head. It was even bigger than the one Nico had fought on Halloween.

"Glad we didn't have to fight _that_ ," Harry commented, stepping carefully over the troll's legs.

On the other side of the room, Hermione opened the next door, revealing a table with seven differently-shaped bottles standing in a line. As soon as she, Nico and Harry had crossed the threshold, black flames sprang up to block their way forward. At the same time, purple fire blocked their way back.

"Great," Nico sighed. "We're trapped."

"Look!" Hermione cried, seizing a roll of parchment from the table. Harry looked over her shoulder to read it.

"What is it?" Nico asked.

"A riddle," Hermione answered happily. "This isn't magic, it's logic. One bottle takes us through the black fire, one takes us back through the purple, three are poison, and two are wine. The riddle tells us which is which."

"Can you solve it?" Nico prompted.

"Give me a minute." Hermione read the paper several times, then began pacing and muttering to herself. Finally, she clapped her hands. "I've got it! The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire—toward the Stone."

"There's only enough for one of us," Nico observed. "That's barely one swallow."

"Good," Harry said. Before either Nico or Hermione could stop him, he drained the bottle and walked through the black fire.

Hermione and Nico shared a wide-eyed look. "Which one gets you through the purple fire?" Nico asked.

"The—the one on the end there," Hermione stammered, pointing. "I guess we'll have to take that one."

"You go on, then," Nico said.

Hermione took a deep breath and drank about half the bottle. Then she walked through the purple fire.

Now alone, Nico cautiously approached the black fire. It was very hot, but it didn't give off light—if anything, it was casting shadows all over the ground.

"Joke's on you, Harry," Nico muttered. "I don't need the potion." He shadow-traveled to the other side of the flames.


	11. Death Has Some Explaining to Do

Sure enough, both Harry and Quirrell were standing in the final chamber. Neither of them noticed Nico's entrance; Quirrell was focused on a large mirror and Harry was focused on Quirrell. With a start, Nico realized the mirror was the same one he'd encountered at the beginning of the school year.

"Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?" Quirrell was saying.

"And…Nico?" Harry asked hesitantly. Nico ducked behind a column and out of sight.

"Nosy boy. Saw through my act right from the start," Quirrell said irritably. "He found that troll before I'd even had the chance to investigate the Stone's protections."

"You mean…he's not part of this? He really was trying to protect the Stone?"

"I cannot speak to his motives. But it was very helpful of him to antagonize you and divert your suspicions."

Nico frowned. It didn't sound like Harry and Quirrell were allies…it sounded like Harry really had come here for the same reason as Nico.

"But…the Quidditch match. He tried to kill me."

"No, no, no. _I_ tried to kill you. If that smokescreen hadn't broken my eye contact, I would have succeeded—even with Snape muttering his countercurse, trying to save you."

"Snape was trying to _save_ me?"

"Of course," Quirrell said casually. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really…he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching…and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight."

Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and tightly bound Harry.

"Now, wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror."

Nico considered his options. He could summon his sword and cut Harry free, but he decided against it—Stygian Iron was as lethal to mortals as monsters, and if he so much as nicked Harry by accident, that would _not_ be good. He could attack Quirrell, but he was reluctant to kill a mortal. He could try using his wand, but he knew he didn't know nearly enough magic to take on a fully-trained wizard. His sword was his best option.

Nico summoned his sword and stepped out of hiding. "Hello, Professor."

Quirrell looked back at him and started in mild surprise. "I wondered if you'd come here as well. I must say, I did not expect your choice of weapon."

Nico hefted the sword. "Did you really believe Hermione's story about my cat? Vescia wouldn't hurt a fly. _I_ killed that troll on Halloween, and that was hardly the most dangerous enemy I've ever faced."

"No matter." Quirrell snapped his fingers, and ropes bound Nico as well. "A troll is nothing compared to the power of Lord Voldemort."

"And the so-called Dark Lord is nothing compared to me," Nico retorted, shifting his sword to subtly saw through the ropes.

"You have a very overinflated opinion of yourself, _boy_."

"I'm not the one who styled myself a lord."

"Then why do the ghosts call you that?" Harry challenged.

"I never told them to. They see me for who I truly am. Death and darkness are _my_ domain." Nico looked back at Quirrell. "And you—what is the point of serving a dead wizard?"

Quirrell shook his head. "He is not dead. I met him in my travels around the world. He showed me my own naiveté—that there is no good and evil, only power, and those too weak to seek it…I am weak, I know this, and he has had to be hard on me. He keeps a close watch on me now. He is with me wherever I go."

"He…ohh." At last, Nico understood what he'd been sensing from Quirrell all year. But then why did he get a similar sense from Harry?

"Yes," Quirrell said absently, running his fingers along the mirror. "I don't understand…is the Stone _inside_ the mirror? Should I break it?"

"A terrible punishment awaits those who defy death," Nico warned.

"Silence!" Quirrell hissed. "What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!"

And then a second voice emanated from Quirrell, though he did not move his lips. "Use Potter…use Potter…"

Quirrell whirled around to face Harry. He clapped his hands, causing Harry's bindings to fall off. "Come here, Potter. Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."

Harry shakily walked toward the mirror. He stared into it for a few moments, then his eyes widened.

"Well?" Quirrell said impatiently. "What do you see?"

"I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore. I-I've won the house cup for Gryffindor."

Quirrell cursed. "Get out of the way."

Harry slowly backed away. Meanwhile, Nico succeeded at cutting himself free. He stood up and hefted his sword again.

The second voice spoke again. "He lies…he lies…"

"Potter, come back here! Tell me the truth!"

"Let me speak to him," the other voice suggested. "Face-to-face."

"Master, you are not strong enough!"

"I have strength enough…for this…"

Harry and Nico both watched in horrified fascination as Quirrell unwrapped his turban. He cast it aside, then turned on the spot. Where the back of his head should have been, there was instead a terrible face with red eyes and snakelike slits for nostrils.

"Harry Potter," Voldemort whispered. His gaze drifted to Nico, and his eyes widened slightly. "And Nico di Angelo. Has anyone ever told you how much you look like your grandfather?"

"You serve my grandfather?" Nico demanded, tightly gripping his sword. Had his entire school year been some twisted scheme of Kronos's?

"I serve no one!" Voldemort hissed angrily. "But it was your grandfather who set me on the path to immortality. Him and that girl. Two little Italian children who barely spoke a word of English…but they had power. I see it in you too…you could join me…"

"Two little…oh. OH." Suddenly, Nico understood. Voldemort had met Nico and Bianca before they went into the Lotus Hotel, and now Voldemort had mistaken Nico for his own grandson. But what exactly had happened? And was he really… " _Italian?_ "

"You did not know your own heritage? I can sympathize…I did not discover my greatest ancestor until I came to Hogwarts…"

"I know my own heritage," Nico snarled. "You have made an enemy of my family, and I will never, _ever_ join you."

"Such a shame," Voldemort sighed. "But perhaps you have more sense, Potter…you need not join your parents…all you need to do is give me that Stone in your pocket…"

Harry seemed to come out of a trance. "NEVER!" He turned and ran toward the black flames. Nico stood stock still in confusion, wondering how in Tartarus Harry had gotten the Stone.

"SEIZE HIM!" Voldemort cried. Quirrell sprang forward and grabbed Harry by the wrist. Harry and Quirrell both yelled in pain. Quirrell let go, his hands blistering.

"Seize him! SEIZE HIM!" Voldemort cried again. Quirrell lunged and knocked Harry off his feet, pinning him to the ground and wrapping his hands around Harry's neck.

"Nico…help…" Harry choked out.

But Nico had seen that Quirrell could not hold Harry, and now he spotted something else—the Stone had fallen out of Harry's pocket. He snatched it up. "This is an abomination, and I will not tolerate its existence for a moment longer." He knelt to put it on the ground, then used his sword to slash it in two. The blood-red color drained from the Stone, and it crumbled.

"ARGH!" Voldemort's face peeled away from the back of Quirrell's head, becoming a misty, specter-like form. He charged at Nico. Nico ducked into the shadow of a nearby pillar and shadow-traveled away.

* * *

Once Hermione walked through the purple fire, she waited for Nico. However, he did not appear. After about a minute, Hermione grew concerned. "Nico?"

No response.

Hermione walked closer to the flames, but they now felt uncomfortably hot. It seemed that the potion had worn off. "Nico?"

Still nothing.

Reluctantly, Hermione decided to go back to Ron and Neville. Clearly, there was nothing more she could do here.

Ron was gently shaking Neville, trying to rouse him. He frowned when he noticed Hermione. "What happened? Where are Harry and Nico?"

Hermione nervously bit her lip. "There was a trap where you needed to drink one potion to go forward and a different one to go backwards. Harry drank all of the potion to go forward…but Nico hasn't followed me back. I don't know why. How's Neville?"

"Still unconscious. I'd say we should take him to Madam Pomfrey, but how would we get him to her?"

"Well, maybe we could use those brooms from the key room…"

"I'm a decent flyer, but I'm not sure I could safely fly while trying to keep an unconscious Neville on the broom."

"So fly up by yourself, find a teacher and ask for help. I'll wait with Neville."

Ron glanced worriedly at Neville. "You sure?"

"He's my friend too. I'm not going to hurt him."

"Hurt him?" Ron said incredulously. "You may hang out with Nico, but you're too nice for that. Just…are you sure you'll be all right alone?"

"I…er…yeah. Thanks, I think?"

Ron stood up. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He headed into the flying key room.

Hermione sat down next to Neville. And she waited. And waited. At long last, she heard footsteps approach from _both_ directions. Dumbledore emerged from the flying key room while Nico emerged from the troll room, his wand in hand.

"Nico!" Hermione cried, jumping to her feet. "Where have you _been_?"

"There were still a few drops of that other potion," Nico replied. He looked at Dumbledore. "Quirrell tried to steal the Stone. You-Know-Who was with him—possessing him, or something very similar. Quirrell and Harry got in a fight, and for some reason Quirrell couldn't touch him…" Nico started and blinked. "Quirrell's dead. I'm not sure what happened to Harry or You-Know-Who, I came looking for help."

"I feared as much," Dumbledore said grimly. "And Mr. Longbottom, is he all right?"

"Just knocked out…we hope," Hermione answered.

Dumbledore nodded. "Wait while I fetch Harry, and then we will take Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing. And…you've been very brave, all of you."

* * *

Back in the dormitory, Nico stared at his canopy, pondering the many questions that the night's events had raised. What had he been sensing from Harry all year? How exactly had Voldemort cheated death? What did he mean when he said that Nico and Bianca had set him on the path to immortality? And what was that Cloak that Harry had used?

Finally, he fell asleep. He found himself standing by a pair of freestanding elevator doors somewhere in the Underworld. A dark-skinned man with black wings stood by the doors. Nico had never met him, but he instantly knew who the man was—Thanatos.

"I see you have encountered my old Cloak," Thanatos stated.

" _That's_ what Harry used? Why does he have your old Cloak?"

"A long time ago, three brothers defied me. I offered them each a reward, intending to entrap them. As I expected, the first two brothers requested gifts that quickly led to their own demises. However, the third brother was wiser. He asked for the means to prevent me from finding him. And so I gave him the Cloak. He hid under it for many years, but once he had attained a great age, he shed the Cloak and went with me willingly. For that reason, I have allowed his descendants to keep the Cloak."

"So…Harry is a descendant of that third brother?"

"Yes." Thanatos leaned against the doors. "Harry isn't what you think he is. Voldemort evaded me by splitting his soul multiple times. By the time he tried to kill Harry Potter, his soul was so unstable that it split on its own, and the newly split fragment latched onto Harry. Neither Harry nor Voldemort has any idea. Harry is fully in control of his own actions."

"And…Quirrell? Did something similar happen to him?"

"No. He was possessed by the original piece of Voldemort's soul—the piece I tried and failed to collect the night he killed the Potters. So long as the other soul fragments remain, I cannot touch him."

"So you're asking me to track down the other pieces of his soul?"

"You already want to, do you not? You are a child of my master. Everything about Voldemort disgusts you. You want him to face the judges."

"Yes," Nico admitted. "I do."

Thanatos smiled. "Then I have no need to issue a quest. Consider this nothing more than a friendly chat."

"Lord Thanatos…what did he mean when he said that Bianca and I set him on the path to immortality? Surely we wouldn't have told him to split his soul?"

"I am afraid that is a question to which I do not know the answer. But I am certain that you never intended to set him on that path, else your father would have punished you severely."

Nico shuddered. "He probably would."

Thanatos nodded. "Indeed. Take care, child. I do not imagine your father wishes you to take your final journey any time soon."

Nico woke. He absently stroked Vescia, pondering the night's events. Thanatos had certainly given him a lot to think about.

* * *

 **A/N: You may have noticed that Nico refers to Voldemort as "You-Know-Who". I know that a lot of crossovers have demigods scoff at the idea of being too scared to say his name, but I don't think they'd find it so ridiculous—in the world of gods and monsters, names really _do_ have power.**


	12. The Tale of Nico di Angelo

Harry spent the next three days unconscious in the hospital wing, during which time the Gryffindors played an embarrassing Quidditch match against Ravenclaw. Neville, fortunately, awoke within hours with nothing worse than a headache. Nico gave Dumbledore a more extended story in which he completely omitted his sword and the fact that he had personally destroyed the Stone. He knew Harry would contradict him, but Harry would have a hard time proving Nico had conjured a sword from seemingly nowhere.

Soon enough, the end-of-year feast had arrived. Slytherin had won the House Cup, so the Great Hall was decked out in green and silver. A banner depicting a large serpent hung behind the teachers' table. Nico sat with Hermione, trying to ignore the fact that people had been staring at him ever since the incident with Quirrell.

Harry was the last to arrive, attracting a great deal of interest. A few moments later, Dumbledore rose to his feet and gave a brief speech. Then he addressed the standings in the House Cup: Gryffindor in fourth, Hufflepuff in third, Ravenclaw in second, and Slytherin in first (the Slytherins cheered quite loudly at this).

"Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin," Dumbledore agreed. "However, recent events must be taken into account." The room went very still. "Ahem. I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see…yes…first, to Mr. Ronald Weasley. For the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house thirty points."

The Gryffindors cheered loudly and Percy pompously praised Ron, though Ron did not look pleased by the attention.

"Second, to Miss Hermione Granger…for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house thirty points."

The Gryffindors cheered again while Hermione buried her face in her arms. Nico awkwardly patted her on the back.

"Third, to Mr. Nico di Angelo…for incredible determination and remarkable bravery, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

Now it was Nico's turn to hide his face while the Gryffindors cheered yet again. As a result, he didn't notice Harry and Ron glaring at him.

"Fourth, to Mr. Harry Potter…for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

The noise was deafening—Gryffindor was now tied with Slytherin. Those who knew something about that night's events were particularly excited, knowing Dumbledore probably had one more person to reward.

And sure enough, he did. "There are many kinds of courage," Dumbledore said with a smile. "But none so great as the courage necessary to sacrifice oneself for one's friends. I therefore award sixty points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

The Great Hall erupted into a veritable explosion of noise. Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws all burst into cheers while a white-faced Neville disappeared under a pile of people hugging him.

"Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, "we need a little change of decoration."

He clapped his hands. The green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold. The serpent transformed into a lion. Snape shook Professor McGonagall's hand, a blatantly forced smile on his face. Then Harry caught Nico's eye, and Nico knew that Harry still hated him. But Nico didn't care. He'd made friends with Hermione and Neville, and if he survived the summer, he would actually look forward to returning next year.

* * *

Exam results came out the next day. Nico had done very poorly in Herbology, but the rest of his grades were decent and he passed the year. Neville had scraped through and Hermione, of course, had passed everything with flying colors.

And then it was time to leave. Trunks were packed, Neville's toad was found, and everyone received letters warning them not to do magic over the summer. Hagrid took the first years across the lake again (Nico almost gave up and shadow-traveled away right then and there, but Hermione coaxed him into the boat). Then they all boarded the train, where Nico and Hermione found a compartment to themselves.

"So…do you have any plans for the summer?" Hermione asked.

"Stay alive and discover my past," Nico answered.

"Come on, Nico, why not take some time to actually enjoy yourself? I'm sure my parents would be happy to have you over for a visit. Surely you can at least go a few _hours_ without getting attacked?"

"A few hours, maybe," Nico conceded. "But I can't just hop back and forth across the Atlantic all summer."

Hermione frowned. "Wait, how exactly do you intend to get back to America? They don't normally sell airplane tickets to twelve-year-olds, do they?"

" _Airplane?_ " Nico repeated, horrified. "I'm not getting on any airplanes, thank you very much!"

"Then how…"

Hermione's question was interrupted by Harry barging into the compartment. "You lied to Dumbledore," Harry said accusingly.

"Really? How so?" Nico responded casually.

"Well, for starters, you _left me to die_!"

"I went to get help," Nico corrected. "I don't like you, but I wouldn't try to get you _killed_."

"And you failed to mention that you had a sword and that you used it to destroy the Stone," Harry continued.

"Sword? Really?" Nico turned to Hermione. "Hermione, did I have a sword when we went through the trap door and faced all those challenges?"

Hermione felt slightly irritated at being dragged into Nico's lies, but she understood why he wanted to keep the sword a secret. "No, you didn't. So unless Harry's suggesting you conjured one from thin air—something I don't recall learning how to do this year—then his memory's probably a bit addled."

"So I suppose I'm also misremembering the fact that I made sure to drink every last drop of that potion so that you couldn't follow me?"

"Yep," Nico said blandly. "Pretty sure we also didn't learn how to make ourselves immune to black fire this year."

"Says the guy who claims that _death and darkness are his domain_ ," Harry retorted, his eyes narrowed. "You may fool Dumbledore, you may fool Hermione and Neville, but you don't fool me. I'll be watching you." He exited their compartment, slamming the door.

Hermione sat frozen in shock. Death and darkness…that sounded suspiciously like Nico _knew_.

Vescia batted at something she'd pulled out of Nico's pocket—a small lead figurine that Hermione had seen once before. She'd assumed that Hades had placed the figurine in the hospital wing as a way of introducing himself, but in hindsight, that made no sense—Hades could have simply _said_ who he was. No, the figurine had been one of Nico's personal effects all along.

And upon reflection, Hermione realized there had been other clues. Nico had been more embarrassed than surprised by the way the ghosts treated him. He _knew_ bad things would happen if he tried to fly outdoors, and that he would be safe underground. He'd mentioned encountering a three-headed dog before. And perhaps most tellingly, he used words like "Styx" and "Tartarus" in place of swear words.

"You know," Hermione whispered. "Oh my god, you've known all along. Why didn't you _tell_ me?"

"Known what?" Nico asked, confused.

Hermione snatched up the figurine. "Your father. You know who he is."

Nico stiffened. "Give that back."

"Please, Nico, stop lying to me!"

The compartment dimmed. "My sister _died_ for that figurine, give it back!"

Hermione gave it back. The light returned to normal.

"How did you know this was my father?" Nico demanded, slightly paler than usual.

"I met him," Hermione admitted. "Last September, after you got struck by lightning. He gave me some sort of healing potion to give to you, and he told me not to let you investigate your past. I assumed that meant you didn't know. I never wanted to lie to you, but…your dad is _scary_."

Nico glared at her for a few moments, then he sagged and looked exhausted. "Yeah. I've noticed." He took off his ring and began fiddling with it, seemingly subconsciously. "I wasn't lying when I told you that story about waking up with no memory. Well, most of it was true, anyway. Bianca and I really did believe we were orphans until the day we left our old school. A group of older kids turned up out of nowhere to rescue us from our vice principal. The goddess Artemis showed up too and scared off the manticore, and we found out that we were demigods. At the time, no one could tell us _who_ our godly parent was. Bianca…" Nico swallowed and scowled. "Bianca pledged herself to the goddess. She up and joined a band of immortal eternal maidens without even asking me how I felt about it."

"Wait, so your sister isn't dead? She's immortal?"

Nico's scowl deepened. "The Hunters don't age, but they can be killed. Artemis was captured by Titan forces a few days after we met her. Bianca joined a quest to rescue the goddess. She found this figurine—it's for this stupid game I used to be obsessed with—only it was guarded by this gigantic automaton. It didn't like that Bianca tried to take the figurine. She sacrificed herself to deactivate the automaton and save her friends."

"I'm so sorry."

"I wasn't there. They'd made me stay behind at this place in Long Island, a safe haven for demigods. I'd been having nightmares about Bianca, but I tried to convince myself they were only that—nightmares. But demigod dreams are rarely just dreams. We _all_ have a tendency to dream about important things that are happening elsewhere in the world." Nico briefly shut his eyes. "A few days later, Percy—one of the other questers—came back and confirmed that she really was dead. And then these skeletons burst out of the woods and attacked. I panicked, and somehow I made the earth crack open and swallow the skeletons. In that moment, I knew. I'd _sensed_ it when Bianca died, and now I had power over zombies. There was only one god who could be my father. I knew the other demigods would never accept a son of Hades among them, so I ran."

"Ran where?"

"Anywhere but there. I found this tunnel in the woods and I took it. I met a ghost who helped me figure out my powers. Then my father found me and offered me a room in his palace. I tried staying there for a few days, but…it was hardly a family atmosphere. Father is always comparing me to Bianca, saying she was much more heroic than I could ever be, and my stepmother Persephone just plain hates me. She doesn't like the reminder that Hades isn't always faithful to her."

"I thought he kidnapped her."

"Back in the ancient days, that _was_ romance. I'm pretty sure she ate that pomegranate on purpose so she could have the best of both worlds."

"So…you didn't stay at this safe haven and you didn't stay with your father. Where _did_ you go?"

"Just kind of roamed around. Figured out that I can teleport with shadows, though doing it over any significant distance requires a huge amount of energy. And that ghost, King Minos…he told me it was possible to bring Bianca back. If I could find a soul that had cheated death, I could hold it ransom for her."

"And did you find one?"

"Minos sent me after Daedalus, but it turned out to be a trap. Minos wanted to use Daedalus to bring _himself_ back to life. He sold me out to Kronos."

"Kronos…the Titan Lord? Wasn't he hacked to pieces and cast into Tartarus?"

"Yeah, he was. Now he's trying to make a comeback. And I'm particularly valuable to him because there's a prophecy that says that a demigod child of one of the Big Three—Zeus, Poseidon or Hades—will make a choice on his or her sixteenth birthday that either saves or destroys Olympus."

"Are there any other people the prophecy could be referring to?"

"Well, there's Thalia, daughter of Zeus—but she joined the Hunters of Artemis the day before her sixteenth birthday, so she'll never actually turn sixteen. That leaves Percy, son of Poseidon. He turns sixteen this August."

"This August."

"Yes. One way or another, the war will probably end this summer. I intend to fight." Nico glanced at his wand. "As a demigod, not a wizard. I tried monster-fighting with magic over Christmas, but it doesn't seem to work any better than ordinary metal. I guess it's considered 'mortal' magic or something. You need _immortal_ magic and weapons to fight in the world of gods and monsters."

"I guess I'd better stay out of the war, then," Hermione concluded.

"Yeah, you should. No offense."

"None taken."

Nico sighed. "I probably won't have the chance to write to you. And if the world doesn't end, but I don't come back to school next year…I'm probably dead."

Hermione looked somewhat shaken. "The world could end this summer."

"Quite possibly."

"…you know, I'm starting to wish I'd never learned that Greek myths are real."

"You and me both. That was half of why I never told you the truth…at first it was mostly that I was afraid you'd be disgusted with me, but eventually it got to the point where I also just didn't want to worry you. Even when there isn't a massive war going on, demigods rarely live to adulthood. We're monster magnets."

" _Rarely?_ "

Nico grimaced. "The ancient Greeks invented tragedy."

Hermione swallowed. "Nico…do you remember when we discussed World War II?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, I couldn't help but notice that you described it almost like you'd been there. And most people's minds would jump straight to Hitler, but your first thought was Mussolini…and you started talking in what sounded like Italian. Even when you switched back to English, you had a thick Italian accent for a few minutes."

Nico adopted a distant look. "The hotel I mentioned…time runs more slowly inside. Bianca and I thought we'd only been there a few months, but it turned out we'd been in there for over sixty years. Had no idea I was Italian, though…until You-Know-Who mistook me for my own grandson and mentioned two Italian children who barely spoke a word of English."

"You met You-Know-Who as a child?"

"Apparently. Couldn't tell you more than that, though—I still don't have my memory back. And I'm not going to let my father stop me from investigating. He's hiding something, and I intend to find out what."

Hermione dropped her gaze. "I'm sorry I lied to you."

"I lied to you too, so I guess we're even."

Hermione looked up again. "Okay, so how about a deal: from now on, we'll both be honest with each other. You don't have to tell me everything—I'm not sure I _want_ to know everything—but at the very least, we don't lie to each other any more."

Nico nodded. "Deal."

"And…I'll understand if you're busy, but write to me if you get the chance."

"I will, I promise," Nico assured her. He doubted he _would_ get the chance, but…he found himself hoping he would. Hermione knew who he was, and she still cared about him. It was more than he'd dared hope for.

* * *

 **A/N: I am working on Chamber of Secrets, and will likely begin posting in a few weeks.**


	13. Leo Starts a Fire

**A/N: And here we are with _Chamber of Secrets_! Once again, I've written the entire year before posting.**

 **And to all you copyright law people out there, I still don't own this.**

* * *

Hermione sighed as she looked up at the imposing marble building that was Gringotts, the wizarding bank. When she'd first come to this place last year, she'd been accompanied by the odd but fascinating Nico di Angelo. Now she had no company but her parents, and Nico was…well, the world hadn't ended, so hopefully he was still alive. She was unlikely to know for sure until the end of the summer, and waiting was agony. Worse, she couldn't talk to anyone about her worries. How could she possibly explain that Nico was the half-human son of an ancient Greek god, and that he'd gone off to fight in a war involving forces against which ordinary wizards could not hope to stand a chance?

Inside, Gringotts looked exactly as she remembered it. Hermione and her parents walked up to the money-changing counter to exchange their Muggle money for wizarding currency. Hermione looked around while her parents talked to the goblins. To her surprise, she spotted some people she recognized emerging from the vaults—Harry Potter, Leo Valdez and four of the Weasley brothers, accompanied by a redheaded man, woman and young girl who were presumably other Weasleys.

Ron spotted Hermione and walked over to greet her. "Hello. How've your holidays been?"

"They've been okay, I suppose," Hermione shrugged. "What about yours?"

"Eventful," Ron said as Harry walked up.

"Where's Nico?" Harry asked, narrowing his eyes.

"In America," Hermione answered. "So can we please be civil?"

Mr. Weasley joined them. "Ron, aren't you going to introduce your friend?"

"I'm not sure we're exactly _friends_ …" Ron mumbled.

Hermione offered her hand. "Hermione Granger."

Mr. Weasley shook it. "Arthur Weasley." He looked at the counter behind her with interest. "Are those your parents? What have they got there?"

"Changing Muggle money," Hermione explained.

Mr. Weasley's eyes lit up. "They're _Muggles_? Amazing!" He rushed forward and excitedly introduced himself to Hermione's parents.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Here we go again…Dad loves Muggles."

"Boys and Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley called. "We'll all meet up at Flourish and Blotts in an hour to buy your schoolbooks. Go wherever you like…except Knockturn Alley!"

"See you later," Ron said to Hermione before walking away with Harry.

Hermione returned to her parents, who were still talking with Mr. Weasley. Her father handed her a pouch of wizard money. "Will you be all right on your own for a little while? This wizard is very insistent that he buy us a drink. We can meet at the bookstore later with the rest of your friends."

"Sure, Dad," Hermione replied, amused by Mr. Weasley's obvious enthusiasm. She took the money and headed down Diagon Alley.

First things first, she needed new parchment and ink. For that, she went into a shop called Scribbulus Writing Implements. She gathered an armful of parchment, then tried to figure out how to pick up some ink bottles without dropping her load.

"Expecting a lot of essays, are we?" the shopkeeper asked, a twinkle in his eye.

"You never know," Hermione replied seriously. "Best to be prepared."

"Smart girl," the shopkeeper said approvingly. He handed her a bag. "Here, this might help. Just don't go walking out without paying, all right?"

"Thanks," Hermione said, letting her armful of parchment tumble into the bag. She turned her attention to the shelf of ink. "Exploding ink," she murmured to herself. "I think I'll pass on that." She picked up a few bottles of non-explosive ink, then her eyes fell on a nearby display of quills. Among them was a box of spell-checking quills. She'd meant to get Nico one for Christmas, but…actually, she couldn't remember why she hadn't. Might as well get one now. Or several, since Nico's spelling skills didn't seem likely to improve any time soon.

Once her purchase was complete, Hermione set off down the Alley to browse. She picked up more potion ingredients and bought herself a strawberry sundae. She spotted Ron's mother and sister through the window of a second-hand robe shop. She spotted a much less friendly face coming out of Quality Quidditch Supplies—Draco Malfoy and a man who was presumably his father. She ducked into the nearest shop to avoid notice.

This shop seemed to sell a variety of odds and ends. Hermione walked past tables of crystal balls, star charts and protective gear until her interest was finally caught by a section labeled "Revelation". She examined a red object that looked like a rubber. The tag called it a "Revealer", useful for exposing invisible ink and other hidden messages. Hermione was briefly tempted, then she spotted the object next to it. The "Mirror of Truth", enchanted to show things as they really were. Thinking of Quirrell and of Nico's stories about his former vice principal, Hermione decided that the mirror might very well come in handy.

"Hello."

Hermione nearly dropped the mirror and whirled around. Harry and Ron were standing behind her.

"Uh, hello," Hermione replied.

"What's Nico been up to this summer?" Harry demanded.

"I've been doing schoolwork and going on a family trip to Washington DC, thanks ever so much for asking," Hermione replied, annoyed. "You do realize I'm my own person and I have a life outside of him?"

"Yeah, but you've probably been writing to him, haven't you?"

"No, I haven't. Neither of us has an owl. Excuse me." Hermione brushed past them, carrying the mirror.

"I told you, Harry, lay off her," Ron hissed. Then he raised his voice. "Sorry about my dad, by the way. You'd think after three years of Leo, he'd run out of questions about Muggles."

"That's okay," Hermione replied, more cheerfully. "I thought it was kind of funny, actually. And sweet of him to take an interest." She handed the mirror to the shopkeeper, along with three Galleons. He took the mirror and wrapped it up for her.

"That's Dad for you," Ron shrugged. He paused, obviously casting about for something else to say. "So, Washington DC. That sounds fun."

"It was," Hermione agreed.

"Do anything exciting?" Ron prompted.

"Oh, yes. There are so many monuments and museums, it was very educational." She'd also found information about Nico's past, but she wasn't inclined to share that with Harry and Ron. "What have _you_ done this summer?"

"Rescued Harry from his horrible aunt and uncle. They actually had _bars on his window_ , can you believe it?"

"Is that even legal?" Hermione asked as they left the shop and returned to the Alley.

"Don't know, but I doubt they care," Harry said sourly. "Uncle Vernon bought a gun last year, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a license for that."

"Wow. Sounds like you're better off away from them."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. He glanced sidelong at Hermione. "And there was this house elf that was stealing all my mail. He said he wouldn't give it to me unless I agreed not to go back to school. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"Why would I know anything about that? I don't even know what a house elf is."

"They're little creatures that serve wizarding families," Ron explained. "Someone probably sent him, and we thought it sounded like the sort of thing Nico might do."

Hermione stopped walking and folded her arms. "I'm pretty sure Nico doesn't know any house elves, and if he did I doubt he'd bother telling one to mess with you. Are you sure the elf wasn't acting on his own?"

"I doubt he _could_ ," Ron replied. "House elves are magically bound to the family they serve."

"That sounds like slavery," Hermione said disapprovingly.

" _Is_ Nico from a wizarding family?" Harry prodded.

"He doesn't like to talk about his family," Hermione answered with a shrug. "But I know his father has one of the oldest vaults at Gringotts."

"I thought he was American," Ron responded, confused.

"Don't you know any history? Many Americans are descended from European immigrants. His family probably moved there sometime in the last few centuries."

"But he _is_ from a wizarding family," Harry prompted. "An old one."

"An old magical family, yes. But he's never mentioned a _slave_."

"He also hasn't written to you all summer," Harry pointed out.

"I'm sure he's just busy," Hermione said, glaring at him. "If all you're going to do is insult Nico, I have better things to do today." She stormed away down the street.

Farther down the Alley, she passed Fred, George and Leo. "Whoa, sunshine, what's got your knickers in a twist?" Leo asked in a bad attempt at an English accent.

"Leo, what have we told you about trying to be English?" Fred scolded.

"Hey, when in England…" Leo shrugged, resuming his American accent. "But seriously, Hermione, are you all right?"

"I'm not sure Harry realizes that Nico and I are separate people, and that I'd be perfectly willing to be civil to Harry if he'd be civil in return," Hermione grumbled.

All three boys sighed and shook their heads. "Harry's perfectly nice when you and Nico aren't around, I swear," George promised.

"Ah, never mind him," Fred said bracingly. "Hey, I know what'll cheer you up. Have a firework!" He reached into his bag.

Hermione took a step backwards. "I'm fine, thank you."

Fred shrugged and put the firework back in his bag. "Your loss."

"What've _you_ bought today?" Leo asked, nodding at Hermione's bag.

"Ink, parchment, quills and a magic mirror."

"Magic mirror?" Leo repeated, sounding interested.

"Yes." Hermione took out the mirror and unwrapped it. "It's supposed to always show your 'true reflection'."

Leo looked into the mirror, an odd expression on his face. "So why does it show me in a dark room with some fiery oven behind me?"

"What?" Hermione and the twins crowded around him. For a moment, Hermione thought she saw something, but then the twins shifted into view and the vision vanished.

"Leo, is this some sort of joke?" George asked.

"No, I'm serious!" Leo protested. "There was smoke and soot in the air…and something in the oven thing…"

"Maybe you have to look directly into it?" Fred suggested. Leo offered him the mirror. Fred looked into it for a few moments, then shrugged. "Still seems ordinary to me."

"You don't suppose it has something to do with your mother's death, do you?" George suggested somewhat tentatively.

Leo swallowed and shook his head. "That definitely wasn't her shop." He noticed Hermione giving him a curious look. "And I don't want to talk about it. Isn't it time to get our books yet?"

"Just about," Fred answered, handing the mirror back to Hermione. "Come on." He led the way to Flourish and Blotts.

Hermione rewrapped her mirror and followed them, musing at the odd incident. What place had the mirror shown Leo, and why had it shown him there?

* * *

When they reached the bookstore, they saw a large banner in the window advertising a book signing by Gilderoy Lockhart. Hermione instantly recognized the name as the author of nearly all the books on their second-year booklist. "Ooh, we can actually meet him!" she murmured excitedly to herself.

Fred heard her. "Have you actually _read_ any of his stuff? Mum's got his _Guide to Household Pests_ , and I swear the book is a bad joke."

"He can't be _that_ bad, if the new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher is assigning his books," Hermione defended.

"Probably a fan," George grumbled. "Bet it's a witch." He opened the door. Inside, the shop was positively packed with patrons in line for the book signing, most of them middle-aged witches. Hermione grabbed a copy of _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2_ and then set off in search of her parents. She found them in line with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh good, you're all here," Mrs. Weasley said breathlessly. She kept nervously patting her hair. "We'll be able to see him in a minute…"

Gilderoy Lockhart slowly came into view, and Hermione forgot how to breathe. He was the most handsome man she'd ever seen: perfect white teeth that flashed when he smiled, wavy blond hair that perfectly framed his face, eyes that were a beautiful shade of forget-me-not blue…

Then a photographer accidentally shoved Ron into Hermione, and she snapped out of her trance. Gilderoy Lockhart looked up at the sound, then spotted Harry. With a great shout of excitement, he dived into the crowd and pulled Harry forward, dragging him into view of the cameras. Harry looked thoroughly shocked and dazed as Lockhart first presented Harry with his entire collected works, then announced that he would be taking up the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. Hermione cheered and applauded along with the other women in the crowd, though the Weasley brothers seemed unimpressed by the announcement.

Harry finally broke free of Lockhart and gifted his new books to Ginny Weasley. He was just dumping the books into her cauldron when a familiar drawling voice spoke behind him. "Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter? _Famous_ Harry Potter, can't even go into a _bookshop_ without making the front page."

Ginny glared at Malfoy. "Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!"

"Potter, you've got yourself a _girlfriend_!" Malfoy sneered. He paused, narrowing his eyes at Hermione. "Where's di Angelo?"

"What's the matter?" Ron spoke up. "Scared of getting your nose broken again?"

Malfoy cast a furtive look around before answering. "No, but I sure am surprised to see you in a _shop_ , Weasley. I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all of those."

Ron turned red with rage and lunged for Malfoy. Harry and Hermione both grabbed the back of Ron's jacket and hauled him backwards. The former two shared an awkward look when they realized they had just acted in unison.

"Ron!" Mr. Weasley called, approaching with Leo and the twins. "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."

"Well well well—Arthur Weasley." The new speaker was the man whom Hermione had seen with Draco Malfoy earlier.

"Lucius," Mr. Weasley replied, his voice cold.

"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear. All those extra raids…I hope they're paying you overtime?" Without waiting for a response, Mr. Malfoy reached into Ginny's cauldron and pulled out a very tattered-looking textbook. "Obviously not. Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"

Mr. Weasley flushed even darker red than Ron. "We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy."

"Clearly." Mr. Malfoy glanced at Hermione, then her parents, then Leo. "The company you keep…taking in a boy with no wizard heritage…and I hear his mother didn't even know who the father was…"

"My father _abandoned_ my mother," Leo corrected angrily, tightly gripping a nearby bookshelf. "And it was his loss, because she was an _amazing_ woman."

"Uh, Leo…" George cut in, sounding worried. Hermione could swear she smelled smoke.

Leo, however, was on a roll. "She raised me all by herself, worked for every penny, and did it all without complaint. She taught me that you _earn_ what you get in life, and you can make do with anything so long as you love the people you're with. Don't you _dare_ insult Esperanza Valdez!"

"LEO!" Fred shouted, backing away. Leo yelped as he realized that the bookshelf he'd been gripping had caught fire. The flames spread impossibly fast, leaping from bookshelf to bookshelf. Fred yanked Ron and Hermione away while George did the same to Harry and Ginny.

" _Aguamenti!_ " cried several nearby adult wizards. Streams of water shot out of their wands onto the bookshelves, creating plumes of white smoke.

Leo stood stock still, white as a sheet. He stared in horror at the flames, apparently transfixed.

"Leo!" Mr. Weasley called worriedly. He tried to venture between the flaming bookshelves and approach Leo, but he choked on the smoke and began coughing. "Leo, get out of there!"

"LEO!" the other children chorused in unison. Leo finally snapped out of his trance and joined them as they battled the crowd to get out the door. More wizards shot water into the flames, slowly but surely taming the inferno.

Finally, the group made it outside. "S-sorry," Leo gasped out, still pale.

"Hey," George said soothingly. "This is not your mum's machine shop, I'm sure everyone's going to be fine this time."

"But what if they're not?" Leo asked fearfully.

"They will be," Hermione said firmly, trying to convince herself. She took a deep breath. "Sorry if I'm being too forward, but…did your mum die in a fire?"

"Yeah," Leo confirmed with a shudder. "I was eight."

"I'm so sorry."

"Thanks," Leo replied, somewhat curtly. His eyes widened again. "Oh god, we can't pay for everything that burned!"

"If they ask, I'll pay for it," Harry promised. "Consider it my way of repaying you guys for rescuing me."

"Hermione!" called a pair of worried voices. Hermione looked around and saw her parents approaching her.

"Here!" she called back, hurrying over to meet them.

"Are you all right?" her mother asked, brushing soot off her clothes.

"I'm fine," Hermione assured.

Her father held up a stack of Gilderoy Lockhart's books. "Luckily, we bought these before you got there. Let's get out of here, I think we've had enough of Diagon Alley for today."

"Yeah," Hermione agreed, glancing at the still-smoking bookshop. "I think we have." She followed her parents back to the Leaky Cauldron and the Muggle world.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't worry, Nico will be back next week.**


	14. Cars & Thestrals & Luna, Oh My

**A/N: The events of _The Last Olympian_ occurred without significant departure from canon.**

* * *

Hermione walked through the Hogwarts Express, anxiously looking for Nico. To her profound relief, she found him—though not alone. He leaned against the wall, fast asleep, while a girl with dirty blonde hair and a rather vacant expression sat across from him. The girl was absently petting Vescia and reading a colorful magazine.

"Uh…hello," Hermione said. "Do you and Nico know each other?"

"Oh, is that his name?" the girl said vaguely. "No, I just saw this fascinating Kittrangle and so I asked if I could join him. He didn't wake up when I shook him, so I assumed he was fine with it."

"Kittrangle?"

"Yes, a Kittrangle," the girl repeated, pointing at Vescia.

Hermione stowed her trunk next to the girl's. "I'm pretty sure that's just a reanimated kitten."

"No, he's definitely a Kittrangle," the girl insisted. "I'm Luna, by the way, Luna Lovegood."

"Hermione Granger. And the kitten is a girl."

" _She's_ a Kittrangle, then. They're very friendly, you know."

Hermione gave up and sat down. "What's that you're reading?"

" _The Quibbler_ ," Luna answered, holding it out. "My father's the editor."

Hermione quickly skimmed the magazine. It was full of bizarre conspiracy theories and a number of 'facts' about something called a "Crumple-Horned Snorkack".

"Well. That's…ah…interesting," Hermione finally said, handing back the magazine. "So, are you starting your first year?"

"Yes," Luna confirmed. "You?"

"Second year. Same as Nico."

Luna shot Nico a look of vague interest. "I do hope he's all right. He's cold as ice. If he weren't breathing, I'd think he was dead."

Hermione swallowed nervously. "I'm sure he'll be fine. But I'd advise against waking him if you don't have to. The one time I tried that, he nearly punched me in the face."

"Hmm. Violent awakenings are often a sign that the brain is infested with Nargles."

Hermione gaped at the bizarre yet serene statement. They had barely known each other five minutes, and already this girl was giving her a headache.

Fortunately, Neville chose that moment to enter their compartment. "Hello. Had a good summer?"

"Yes," Hermione answered. "Neville, Luna Lovegood. Luna, Neville Longbottom."

"Nice to meet you," Luna said pleasantly.

"Nice to meet you too." Neville stowed his trunk and sat down. "Uh…is Nico all right?"

"We hope," Hermione replied, biting her lip. The train began moving.

"He was like that after Christmas, too," Neville said thoughtfully. "Completely dead to the world, no matter how much noise the rest of us made."

Suddenly, Hermione remembered what Nico had told her about his unique mode of transportation—traveling over long distances took a tremendous amount of energy. Hopefully that meant he was simply recuperating, though she couldn't exactly share that with Neville and Luna.

"Dead to the world," Luna repeated pensively. "He does seem to give off an aura of death…"

Hermione stiffened, slightly concerned by this observation. "What gave it away? The skeletons on his t-shirt, the skull on his ring or the undead cat?"

Luna shook her head. "No. _He_ gives off an aura of death. Are you sure he's not a vampire?"

"Uh…pretty sure."

"He _does_ seem to hate sunlight," Neville mused. "I've never met anyone so pale in my life."

"Yeah, but in case you hadn't noticed, he's in the sun right now and he hasn't burned to ashes," Hermione retorted. "And he likes garlic just fine. Every time there's garlic bread for dinner, he practically inhales it."

Someone knocked on the door to their compartment, and a head full of red hair poked in. "Mind if I join you?"

"Sure," Neville replied, gesturing to the empty space between him and Luna. "Are you Ron's sister?"

The girl nodded. "I'm Ginny. And I can't find Harry or Ron anywhere. They were right behind us in the station…"

Neville shrugged. "I haven't seen them, sorry."

Ginny sighed. "First Fred and George hold my luggage hostage, then Harry and Ron go missing…" She turned to Hermione. "I remember you from Diagon Alley. Hermione, right?"

"Yes. And this is Luna, this is Neville and that's Nico."

"Nice to meet—AAAHHH!" Ginny scrambled away from Luna and almost fell into Neville's lap. "What happened to that poor cat?!"

"She's a Kittrangle," Luna replied.

"No, she's an undead kitten," Hermione corrected grumpily. "And she's completely harmless, don't worry."

"Why…why do you have an undead kitten?" Ginny asked shakily.

"The Kittrangle belongs to Nico, actually," Luna said cheerfully.

"Nico…" Ginny looked at him with an expression of dawning comprehension. "That boy that Harry keeps ranting about?"

"Whatever Harry's told you, it's probably exaggerated," Neville replied. "For some reason he and Nico instantly hated each other, but apart from that Nico's really a nice person. He just doesn't show it very often. Kinda like his cat, actually. Looks scarier than he really is."

Ginny cautiously reached out to pet Vescia, who purred. "Huh. She really _is_ nice." She continued petting Vescia for a few moments longer, then looked up again. "So…is it true that they sort you by making you wrestle a troll, or was Fred making that up?"

Hermione and Neville ended up spending the next hour or so debunking a number of outlandish stories about Hogwarts that Ginny had heard from her brothers. Luna occasionally contributed an outlandish story of her own. Eventually, the witch with the sweet trolley came by. Neville and Luna got up to buy snacks while Vescia hopped onto Nico's lap and began pawing at him.

"Vai via, sto cercando di dormire," he grumbled.

Vescia meowed loudly.

"Che cosa?!" Nico blearily opened his eyes and looked up. "Oh. Cibo." He stood up and walked over to the trolley. "Tre…sorry, three Skeletal Sweets and a pack of Fudge Flies, please." He spoke with a slight but noticeable Italian accent.

"Here you go, dear," the witch replied, handing him the sweets he requested. He gave her five Sickles in return.

Nico sat back down, then looked around the compartment. He blinked in confusion when he noticed Luna and Ginny. "Who are you?"

"Luna Lovegood."

"Ginny Weasley."

"Oh." Nico yawned. "Hello, I'm Nico di Angelo."

"Nice to meet you," Luna and Ginny chorused.

"When did you become Italian?" Neville wondered.

"When I was born." Nico bit off the head of a Skeletal Sweet.

Neville's eyes lit up. "Oh, did you finally get your memory back?"

"Dad was finally nice enough to return it. Turns out he took it in the first place because my uncle tried to kill my sister and me and our dad was trying to keep us hidden."

"Uh…that was a joke, right?" Ginny asked nervously.

"Nope." Nico took another bite.

"Nico, let's not go scaring the first years with tales of your dysfunctional family," Hermione said sternly.

"My mother accidentally blew herself up when I was nine," Luna offered.

"And my parents were attacked by You-Know-Who's followers when I was a baby," Neville added, staring at his lap.

"…this wasn't quite the alternative that I had in mind," Hermione grumbled. "But if we're going to stay on the topic…" She reached into her pocket for the old newspaper clipping she'd found and she handed it to Nico. "Found that when I went to Washington DC this summer. Thought you might want it."

Nico unfurled the clipping. It was from the _Washington Post_ and dated March 8th, 1942. It contained a large black-and-white photo of Nico, Bianca, their mother and their grandfather. Beneath the photo was an article headlined "Family of Italian Ambassador Killed In Freak Explosion".

For a few long moments, Nico stared at his family, then he ripped off the photograph and handed the article back to Hermione. "I know what happened," he said quietly. "But thanks for the photo." He tucked it into his pocket.

"What was that about?" Neville asked curiously.

"A long story that I'd rather not discuss," Nico said somewhat curtly. He yawned again, then noticed that Vescia had returned to Luna's lap. "Oh, you've made friends with Vescia? I'm impressed, most of the boys in our dormitory are _still_ scared of her."

"Well that's silly," Luna said dismissively. "Kittrangles are quite docile."

Nico stared at her. "Huh? She's just a cat." He glanced at Hermione. "My grandfather's cat, actually. Some horrible kid tortured her and her siblings to death, and my grandfather and his sister brought the kittens back to life so they could avenge themselves. Then they tried to take the kittens back to Italy, but this one got lost in the chaos of packing up to go home. It was sheer luck that I found her again seventy years later."

Luna didn't seem to know what to say to that, and awkward silence reigned for several moments. Finally, Hermione cleared her throat. "So, Nico…did you have a nice summer?"

"Could have been worse." Nico glanced again at Hermione. "I found out I have some Roman cousins…on my dad's side."

Hermione got the impression he meant Roman _demigods_. She would have to ask him about that later.

"Well, I went to Washington DC," Hermione stated. "The Smithsonian is amazing, I hope to go again sometime."

This sparked a lively discussion of their summers. Nico yawned frequently and soon fell back asleep. When they got close to Hogwarts, the other students tried unsuccessfully to wake him. Fortunately, Vescia seemed to catch on to what they were doing and she pawed at Nico until he woke.

The girls went out into the corridor while Nico changed into his robes. Shortly afterward, they pulled into Hogsmeade station.

The corridor rapidly filled with students, all pushing and shoving their way toward the exits. Nico, Hermione and the others all joined the throng. Partway down the train, Nico suddenly froze and turned toward a nearby compartment. "Harry?"

Hermione glanced into the compartment. "There's no one there, Nico."

"You sure?" Nico asked. He tried to take a closer look himself, but the crowd forced him to continue down the train. He repeatedly glanced over his shoulder, frowning.

Out on the platform, Luna and Ginny joined the other first years with Hagrid. Nico, Hermione and Neville joined the other students as they headed toward a rough mud track containing about a hundred horseless stagecoaches. Nico walked up to the empty space where a horse would be. "Hello," he said, petting thin air. "What are you?"

"Uh…Nico?" Hermione said worriedly. "There's nothing there either."

"What are you talking about?" Neville asked, joining Nico. "Can't you see these…horse things?"

Hermione walked over to them and pulled out her mirror. Looking into it, she could see the reflections of two skeletal horses with dragon-like heads and bat-like wings. "Okay…what on _earth_ are those, and why can't I see them normally?"

"Dunno," Nico said, frowning again. "You can see them in that thing?"

"Yes, it's enchanted to…" Hermione began, but she broke off when the carriages at the front of the line began moving.

"I think we should probably get in," Neville said. He, Nico and Hermione boarded the carriage, and it soon followed its fellows.

* * *

Once they reached the castle and disembarked, Hermione spotted Percy Weasley emerging from another nearby carriage. She walked up to him. "Excuse me. What are those things that pull the carriages?"

Percy gave her a strange look, as did several other students in earshot. "The carriages pull themselves." He walked over to a Ravenclaw girl, shaking his head.

Neville nervously looked at Nico. "Are we the only people who _can_ see them? What's so special about us?"

"I don't know," Nico mused. "This may seem like an odd question, but do you know who _both_ your parents are?"

"Yes. Frank and Alice Longbottom, why?"

"Just checking," Nico said evasively.

Suddenly, people began pointing at the sky. Nico, Neville and Hermione whirled around to see what all the fuss was about. A beat-up old car glided down from the sky and landed on the front lawn. The crowd clapped and cheered as Harry and Ron climbed out of the car.

"Why did we never think of that?" Leo complained to Fred and George. "God knows I've spent plenty of time tinkering with that car…"

Meanwhile, Harry and Ron collected their luggage. The moment they were done, the car started on its own. It zoomed toward the crowd, causing people to shriek and scatter. Then it stopped right in front of Leo.

"Um…hello?" Leo said hesitantly.

The car flashed its headlights.

"Uh…good car. You did a good job." Leo awkwardly patted the car's hood.

The car's engine made a contented-sounding humming noise. Then the car reversed, turned around, and sped off into the Forbidden Forest.

Leo turned to the twins. "Is it just me, or was that really weird?"

"It's not just you," George assured.

"That was really, _really_ weird," Fred added.

"Potter! Weasley!" called a voice at the castle. Professor McGonagall stood on the front steps, her expression even more severe than usual. "And Mr. Valdez, you too. Come with me."

The three boys shared a nervous look before following Professor McGonagall. Nico watched them, frowning. If Harry had been in that flying car, then what had he sensed on the train?

The rest of the students climbed the castle steps and made their way into the Great Hall, gossiping about Harry and Ron's spectacular entrance. "What were they _thinking_?" Hermione grumbled. "That was incredibly dangerous—and what if the Muggles saw them?"

"Lighten up, Hermione," Neville urged. "They looked fine to me, and you have to admit that was pretty cool."

"Yeah, it _was_ pretty cool," Nico agreed. "Maybe even cool enough to get them expelled. I just hope Leo doesn't get into too much trouble, it's not like _he_ actually did anything."

"Can't you lay off Harry for two minutes?" Neville complained, taking a seat at the Gryffindor table.

"I didn't mention him all afternoon, did I?" Nico retorted, sitting opposite Neville. Hermione sat next to Nico.

"Yeah, but only because you slept through most of the train ride," Neville countered. "Didn't you sleep at all last night?"

"He's probably jet lagged," Hermione interjected. "Right, Nico?"

"Right…" Nico agreed, staring at an unfamiliar wizard at the teachers' table. He was a _very_ good-looking man with wavy blond hair and aquamarine robes that perfectly accented his eyes. Blond hair and blue eyes, perhaps an even better combination than black hair and sea-green eyes…

"Nico?" Hermione asked. "Are you all right?"

Nico tore his eyes away from the new teacher, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Fine. Who's that new guy?"

"That's our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart," Hermione explained. "You know, the guy who wrote most of our new textbooks?"

"New textbooks?" Nico repeated, frowning. "We have new textbooks?"

Neville gave him an odd look. "Didn't you get the letter?"

"Uh…guess not."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you can order them through the post," Hermione told him. "And until then, you can share mine."

"Thanks." Nico paused. "Oh no, was there homework too?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Uh…yes. They told us that before we left."

"Yeah, well, I had other things on my mind," Nico defended. He lowered his voice so that only Hermione could hear. "Like saving the world and surviving the summer…"

At that moment, the doors opened and Professor Flitwick escorted the first years into the hall. He then left the hall again and returned a few minutes later with a stool and the Sorting Hat. Once the stool and Hat had been set at the front of the hall, the Hat opened its mouth and sang a song in which it extolled the virtues of the four houses.

Once the Hat was finished, the school applauded. Professor Flitwick held up a roll of parchment and began calling names. Nico didn't pay much attention, but he clapped whenever a student was placed in Gryffindor. He was slightly disappointed when Luna was sorted into Ravenclaw; she'd earned his respect when she readily made friends with Vescia. The Sorting ultimately ended with Ginny Weasley, who joined her brothers in Gryffindor.

Once Professor Flitwick had removed the stool and the Sorting Hat, Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet. "Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. Now, before we begin our excellent feast, I have a few start-of-term announcements. First years—and older students—should note that the forest on the grounds is strictly forbidden to all students. On a happier note, I would like to welcome Professor Gilderoy Lockhart to the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Good luck, Professor!"

The female students burst into loud applause. A few of the male students joined in, though with much less enthusiasm.

"Well, I believe that's everything," Dumbledore concluded. "Let the feast begin!"

Food appeared on the tables, and students began helping themselves. A few minutes later, Professor McGonagall and Leo entered the hall. Professor McGonagall went to the teachers' table while Leo joined the Weasley twins.

"Are Harry and Ron okay?" Neville asked.

"Fine," Leo answered. "They haven't been expelled, but they've got detention and McGonagall forbade them to attend the feast."

"And you?" Fred prompted.

"Took a while, but I finally convinced her I never used magic on the car. If I had, you can bet the Invisibility Booster wouldn't have given out…"

"Were they seen?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. By seven Muggles, apparently."

"Ouch," Seamus commented. "Still…awesome entrance…"

"Yeah," Lavender agreed dreamily. "The wind blowing through Ron's hair…"

Parvati nudged her. "And Harry's."

"Yes. And Harry's…"

Hermione rolled her eyes at her dorm-mates' silliness, then turned to Nico and lowered her voice. "When you said 'Roman cousins', I assume you meant demigods?"

"Yeah. They've got a whole legion out in California. Dad showed me to their camp last week. But I'm not allowed to tell any of the Greeks, because apparently the Greeks and Romans have a habit of starting massive wars. It got so bad that the gods erased their memories of each other."

"Wow. So why did your dad tell _you_?"

Nico shrugged. "I don't know. Most of what he does is a mystery to me."

"Huh." Hermione ate another bite of her dinner. "I'm also guessing that when you told that story about your grandfather, you really meant that you and Bianca animated those kittens?"

"Yeah."

"What happened to the others?"

"Took them back home to Italy, then to America, then…well, you read the article, didn't you?"

"Yes, but obviously the Muggles got some facts wrong. Clearly, you and your sister weren't actually in the hotel when it exploded."

"Oh yes we were," Nico said grimly. "Zeus destroyed the hotel in an attempt to kill us. Dad shielded us at the last second, but he was too late to save our mother. To this day, I have never seen him as furious as when he found her body." Nico shuddered.

"I'm so sorry."

Nico put down his fork and stared sadly at his plate. "That was when he decided to erase our memories and send us to the Lotus Hotel. We didn't even have time to grieve before we forgot our mother had ever existed. As for the other two kittens, I assume they were destroyed in the explosion."

"Well, at least you have Vescia."

"Yeah." Nico picked up his fork again. "And it was all a long time ago. I don't want to talk about it any more."

Hermione decided to leave him alone with his thoughts and chat with the other second years. Nico did not join in.

* * *

The rest of the feast passed uneventfully, and finally Dumbledore dismissed them all to bed. Most of the Gryffindors decided to wait in the common room for Harry and Ron, but Nico went straight up to his dormitory and climbed into bed.

Fifteen minutes later, Harry and Ron came upstairs, quickly followed by the other second years. Nico rolled over and looked at Harry, unimpressed. "Congratulations, you didn't get expelled. Hope you don't expect me to join your cheerleading squad."

"Don't worry, I don't," Harry snapped. "And what's with the accent?"

"I got tired of pretending to be American."

" _Pretending?_ " Harry repeated in disbelief.

"What, my name didn't give it away? I'm Italian. Spent a few years in America, which is how my English got so good, but I'm Italian by birth. I'm also very tired. Good night."

Nico shut his curtains and pulled the covers over his head. Just because he now knew that Harry Potter wasn't evil, that certainly didn't mean he was going to start being nice to him.

* * *

 **A/N: If anyone's wondering why Nico wasn't in a shadow-coma last year, stay tuned. That question gets answered next chapter.**

 **And for the record, the other kittens _were_ destroyed in the explosion. They will not be making any surprise appearances.**


	15. Nico Keeps Killing His Classwork

When Nico arrived in the Great Hall the next morning, Hermione had one of their new textbooks propped open against a milk jug. "Good morning," she said cheerfully. "Had enough sleep yet?"

"Yes." Nico yawned. "I think."

Hermione gave him a curious look. "How come you weren't like that on the train last year?"

"Went to London a day early and spent the night at the Leaky Cauldron. I wasn't entirely sure where I was going, so I wanted to be sure I'd be properly awake by the time I needed to find the train."

"But you didn't bother this year."

Nico shrugged. "Why should I? I knew where I was going this time."

"And you missed the perfect opportunity to catch up with your friends whom you haven't seen nor written to all summer."

"There'll be plenty of time. It's not like any of us is going anywhere any time soon."

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "You really aren't a people person, are you."

"You're just figuring that out now?"

Hermione sighed again. "No, I figured that out a long time ago." She cast around for a change of subject, and her eyes lighted on _Voyages with Vampires._ "You ordered your new books yet?"

"No. I still don't know what books to order."

Hermione rummaged in her pockets. "I'm sure I've got the list somewhere…" She jumped when something crashed into their milk jug, splashing nearby students with milk and feathers.

"Errol!" Ron exclaimed, retrieving the bedraggled owl and bringing it back over to where he'd been sitting with Harry and Neville.

"I hope I didn't do that," Nico said, frowning. He could sense that the bird wasn't going to drop dead in the next five minutes, but its life force seemed somehow diminished.

"I think he's just old," Hermione replied, examining a mostly-dry feather. "Do you often cause birds to fall out of the sky?"

"No, normally it's just plants that die around me."

"Then you're probably fine—argh!" Hermione cringed and covered her ears, as did most of the people at the Gryffindor table. A veritable explosion of sound had come from Ron's direction; a woman's voice was berating him for the stunt with the flying car. When the woman finally finished, a red envelope burst into flames.

For a few moments, ringing silence filled the hall. Then a few people laughed and conversation gradually resumed.

"What in _Tartarus_ was that?!" Nico demanded.

"A Howler," replied Ginny Weasley, who was sitting nearby. "I haven't seen—or heard—Mum that angry in _years_ …"

"Did she have to punish the entire school?" Nico grumbled.

"Well, it's a lesson Ron certainly won't forget," Hermione said tartly. "Oh look, here comes Professor McGonagall with our timetables."

"I hope we don't have to start the week with Herbology this year," Nico said, half to himself. He accepted a timetable from Professor McGonagall and squinted at the first class. It said something like "BRHLEOOYG".

"First period Herbology again," Hermione translated. "You'll live."

"Okay, that's it," Nico decided, reaching for his bag. "I am _done_ with this."

Hermione stared at him in shock. "You're quitting school just because we got first period Herbology again?"

Nico pulled out a quill and inkwell. "No, I'm translating this stupid thing into Greek."

* * *

Ten minutes later, they stood waiting outside the greenhouses with the other Gryffindor and Hufflepuff second years. Professor Sprout soon arrived, smiling cheerfully. "Greenhouse three today, chaps!"

Most of the class broke out into excited murmurs at this—they had only ever worked in greenhouse one before. Greenhouse three contained more interesting and dangerous plants. Nico had a feeling this especially meant more dangerous to _him_.

Professor Sprout pulled a large key off her belt and unlocked the door. The class followed her inside. Nico looked nervously at a large umbrella-sized flower hanging from the ceiling, then jumped and pulled away from a thorny vine that tried to curl around his neck. Professor Sprout led them all to a large trestle table in the center of the greenhouse. About twenty pairs of earmuffs sat on the table, along with a row of trays containing a number of purplish-green sprouts.

Once the class had gathered around the table, Professor Sprout began speaking. "We'll be repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake root?"

Naturally, Hermione's hand shot into the air. "Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative. It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state."

Professor Sprout nodded. "Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor. The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Who can tell me why?"

Nico started when he realized that he _knew_ this particular legend. He raised his hand.

Professor Sprout looked surprised, no doubt because Nico had never volunteered information in her class before. "Ah…yes, Mr. di Angelo?"

"The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it."

"Precisely," Professor Sprout agreed, still sounding surprised. "Another ten points to Gryffindor. Now, everyone take a pair of earmuffs."

Everyone lunged for the table, trying to grab any pair but the pink and fluffy one. Nico seized the black pair.

"When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are _completely_ covered," Professor Sprout continued. "When it is safe to remove them, I will give you a thumbs up. Right—earmuffs _on_."

Everyone put on their earmuffs. The earmuffs must have been enchanted, because they shut out sound completely. Professor Sprout donned the pink and fluffy pair, then pulled a Mandrake out of the tray. Nico didn't see what she did next, because another thorny vine decided to pull his feet out from under him. He disentangled himself and stood back up to find the entire class staring at him, their earmuffs back on the table.

"Sorry," Nico muttered, removing his own earmuffs. "What's that thorny vine?"

"The Venomous Tentacula," Professor Sprout answered. "You didn't get scratched, did you?"

"I don't think so."

"Good. Be careful." Professor Sprout turned back to the class at large. "As our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill yet. However, they _will_ knock you out for several hours, and as I'm sure none of you want to miss your first day back, make sure your earmuffs are securely in place while you work. I will attract your attention when it is time to pack up. Four to a tray—pots over here, compost over there."

Nico and Hermione were joined at their tray by Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott. "Hello," Ernie said somewhat pompously. "Nico di Angelo, right?"

Nico nodded, slapping away another thorny vine.

Ernie didn't seem to notice Nico's dilemma. "You know, we've had this class together for a year, and I don't think I'd ever heard you speak before. For some reason, I thought you were American."

"Lived in America for a few years, but I'm Italian."

"Interesting," Ernie said. "So what's the wizarding world like in Italy? Or were you Muggle-born?"

"Half-blood, but raised by my Muggle mother." Yet another vine tried to curl over Nico's shoulder. "Oh will you leave me alone!" he cried in Italian, frustrated. The vine withered and fell away.

"What did you just say?" Hannah asked, eyes wide.

"Earmuffs on, everyone!" Professor Sprout called. Nico gladly obeyed.

Nico and Hermione seemed to come to a silent understanding: Hermione pulled the Mandrakes out of the trays and Nico held the pots steady while she forced the struggling Mandrakes into the compost. Nico didn't dare touch the Mandrakes himself; the mood he was in, he wasn't sure the Mandrakes would survive the experience. Fortunately, if Professor Sprout noticed their little arrangement, she didn't comment. Likely as not, she was thinking along the same lines.

* * *

For their next class, the Gryffindors had Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall started the lesson by demanding that they hand in their summer homework. Nico kept his head down, hoping she wouldn't comment on the fact that he had nothing to hand in, but he had no such luck. "Mr. di Angelo, where is your essay?"

"I didn't have a chance to write it," Nico mumbled.

"Throughout the entire summer holiday…you never had a chance to do your essay."

"I was busy."

"Busy." Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows. "Are you incapable of completing your homework without Miss Granger's aid?"

"What? No!" Nico took a deep breath. "I had a family crisis. A big one."

Professor McGonagall did not look remotely convinced. "What sort of crisis?"

"I really don't want to talk about it."

"Mr. di Angelo, you will either tell me what on earth was so much more important than your education, or you will receive detention. And drop that ridiculous accent!"

"It's not ridiculous, it's my natural accent!" Nico snapped. "And my family was fighting, all right?! Not just arguing, literally fighting to the death! Any time there's a disagreement, they solve it by trying to kill each other—or each other's children! There would have been little point in doing my homework if I didn't live long enough to hand it in!"

The entire class stared incredulously at him. Professor McGonagall looked like she wasn't sure whether to be astounded or furious at his audacity. "Mr. di Angelo, do you honestly expect me to believe that?"

"It's true, Professor," Hermione spoke up. "That's why he was alone when you took us to Diagon Alley last year. His family had been fighting and he was hiding from them."

Professor McGonagall looked at Hermione in surprise. She lapsed into silence for a few moments, perhaps remembering Nico's odd behavior and the fact that he'd been carrying a weapon. When she spoke to Nico again, she sounded thoughtful rather than accusing. "Can you describe the creatures that pulled the carriages last night?"

"Uh…they looked like skeletal pegasi with bat wings," Nico answered, wondering how this was relevant.

Professor McGonagall nodded. "I see. Very well then. I will give you this first week to complete the essay. And perhaps we can see about letting you stay at Hogwarts next summer."

"Uh…thanks." Nico had no intention of sitting around an empty castle all summer, but he figured it was wiser not to argue just now.

Professor McGonagall returned to the front of the classroom, and Hermione raised her hand. "Professor…what _are_ those creatures, and why can't most of us see them?"

"Thestrals can only be seen by those who have witnessed death," Professor McGonagall explained. "Now, get out your wands, all of you. Today, we are going to be turning beetles into buttons."

Once the students had been set to work, Hermione spoke quietly to Nico. "Why don't you keep using your American accent? People are going to think you're just doing the Italian accent for attention or something like that."

"I _can't_ do an American accent any more," Nico grumbled. "I've tried. This is the closest I can come, my accent used to be a lot thicker. I started learning English at a young age, but I was never very good at it until Dad modified my memory." He tried to transfigure his beetle, but it keeled over and died.

"I thought he just erased it," Hermione commented, handing Nico another beetle.

"No, he also improved our English and gave us American accents. He probably thought Bianca and me would stand out too much if we were obviously Italian."

"Bianca and _I_. Apparently he didn't make your English perfect." Hermione successfully transfigured her first beetle.

"That probably would have made us stand out too," Nico replied. His second beetle suffered the same fate as his first.

* * *

By the end of the class, Hermione had a handful of perfect buttons while Nico had a handful of dead beetles and a few buttons that looked suspiciously like they were made of bone. He was relieved to finally pack up and head to lunch.

As he reached the marble staircase, a voice came from behind him. "Nico, what on earth was your family fighting _about_?" Lavender asked.

"None of your business," Nico said curtly.

"Are they _still_ trying to kill you?" she pressed.

"I'm not going to talk about my family!" Nico snapped. "Leave me alone!" He sped up and hurried to the Great Hall.

* * *

After lunch, Nico went up to the Owlery to send off the order for his textbooks. His entrance elicited numerous squawks of disapproval, but a few brown owls flew up to him and immediately offered their legs. Nico picked one at random and tied his order to the owl's leg. Not for the first time, he wondered why some owls seemed to like him.

On his way back down to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Nico saw two older Ravenclaws holding Luna Lovegood's magazine out of her reach. "Does your father actually _believe_ this rubbish?" one boy asked.

"'The Minister of Magic is secretly a fudge golem,'" the other boy read aloud. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

Nico decided to step in. "You know what's the stupidest thing _I've_ ever heard? You bullying a girl on her first day."

"Di Angelo, isn't it?" the first boy sneered. "You like the ones that always have their nose buried in something, do you?"

"Give her back her magazine. _Now._ "

"Try and get it," the second boy taunted, holding the magazine over his head. Quick as a flash, Nico tackled the boy and snatched the magazine out of his grip. "Hey!" the boy cried indignantly.

"You said 'try and get it'," Nico replied unapologetically. "I did." He handed the magazine to Luna. "You okay?"

Luna smiled at him. "Yes, thank you. Do you know the way to the Charms classroom? I got lost and these two refused to tell me the way."

" _I'll_ take you there," Nico promised, leading her away. He glared over his shoulder at the bullies.

* * *

Once he'd escorted Luna to the Charms classroom, Nico headed over to Defense Against the Dark Arts. On his way in, he noticed Harry hiding behind a stack of books, his face red. Nico sat next to Hermione and jerked his head at Harry. "What's up with _him_?"

Hermione giggled. "One of the first years asked Harry for a signed photo. I don't think Harry really wanted his picture taken, but then Professor Lockhart walked by and offered to be in the photo too. Harry couldn't escape."

Nico sighed and shook his head. "Celebrities. Back in Italy, it was normally better _not_ to be the center of attention…"

Lockhart loudly cleared his throat. Once the class had fallen silent, he picked up one of Neville's books and showed off the portrait on the cover. "Me," he said with a wink. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of _Witch Weekly's_ Most-Charming-Smile Award—but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by _smiling_ at her!"

A few people smiled weakly. Nico kept his eyes on his desk, determined not to get distracted by that "charming smile" again.

"I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about—just to check how well you've read my books, how much you've taken in."

Nico stifled a groan as Lockhart began handing out papers. The quiz was written in a flowery script that did _not_ cooperate with his dyslexia. After determining that the first three questions were all about Lockhart's personal tastes and dreams, Nico gave up.

Half an hour later, Lockhart collected the papers and began looking through them. He expressed disappointment at several people who'd gotten questions wrong, then he stopped and stared at the next parchment. "Who wrote in Greek?"

"Me," Nico answered.

"I see that you remembered my extensive travels in Greece. Well done! Perfect score, and in Greek, no less! Ten points to Gryffindor!" Lockhart quickly scanned the remaining quizzes. "And full marks for Miss Hermione Granger, too. Another ten points to Gryffindor."

Lockhart set the quizzes aside and bent down to fetch something under his desk. Hermione leaned over and whispered to Nico. "How'd you get all the questions right without reading his books?"

"I didn't," Nico replied, frowning. "I had no idea how to answer any of the questions, so I just wrote out one of my favorite myths."

For a few moments, Hermione looked baffled, then she shrugged. "I suppose he didn't want to embarrass you."

Lockhart gestured to the large, covered cage he had placed on his desk. "Now, be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here." He put his hand on the cover. "I must ask you not to scream. It might provoke them."

Lockhart pulled off the cover, revealing a number of tiny blue humanoids that chattered in high-pitched voices. "Yes," he continued dramatically. " _Freshly caught Cornish Pixies._ "

Nico stared at the cage in disbelief. Seamus actually let out a snort of laughter.

"Yes?" Lockhart said, smiling at Seamus.

"Well, they're not—they're not very _dangerous_ , are they?"

"Don't be so sure!" Lockhart replied, wagging a finger. "They're devilishly tricky little blighters. Let's see what you make of them!"

Lockhart opened the cage, and the room erupted in pandemonium. The pixies shot in every direction. Nico's ADHD went into overdrive and he looked everywhere at once—five pixies shattered the windows, three began spraying the class with ink, two shredded Lavender and Parvati's textbooks, three tore up the quizzes, four pulled Lockhart's photos off the walls, one demolished Dean's bag, and two seized Neville by the ears and lifted him into the air.

Nico lunged for Neville and tried to pull him back down to the ground. This caused Neville to yell in pain, so Nico leaped onto a nearby desk and seized the pixies holding his ears instead. After a brief struggle, the pixies released Neville and he crashed to the ground. Nico looked at his hands and realized that he'd inadvertently squeezed the life out of the pixies.

By now, most of the class had taken shelter under their desks. "Come on, now!" Lockhart shouted. "Round them up, round them up, they're only pixies!" He rolled up his sleeves and tried to cast a spell, but the pixies seized his wand and threw it out the window.

Nico looked at the dead pixies in his hands, and he had an idea. He animated the pixies, then ran over to the cage. He shoved them inside, quietly murmuring to them in Greek. Then he turned to the pixies still demolishing the quizzes. They tried to fly away, but Nico had quick reflexes. He seized one out of the air and shoved it into the cage. It tried to escape, but the undead pixies blocked it.

"Come on, just capture them one at a time!" Nico urged the class, chasing another pixie.

Hermione saw what he was doing and made her way over to the cage. "I'll keep them from escaping, just bring them here!" She cast a freezing charm on the still-living pixie in the cage.

Slowly, the rest of the class emerged from their hiding spots and began helping. The bell rang just as Parvati shoved the last pixie into the cage. Nico let the two dead pixies collapse, hoping Lockhart wouldn't find anything too odd about them. The students filed out of the classroom to clean themselves up.

"That would have been so much easier if I could just summon my sword and slash them all out of the air," Nico grumbled.

"We're here to learn how _wizards_ fight dark creatures," Hermione reproached.

"All I learned today was that our teacher doesn't live up to his reputation," Nico retorted, thinking back to when Lockhart had looked at his quiz. The man _definitely_ hadn't understood a word Nico wrote—so why had he pretended that he did? Nico couldn't help but question the man's competence—and his honesty.


	16. Vescia Is Popular

Friday night, Nico finished his Transfiguration essay and went to hand it in. As he was leaving Professor McGonagall's office, Myrtle floated through a nearby wall. "Nico! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"You have? Is something wrong?"

Myrtle cast a furtive look down the hallway. "Not here!" She grabbed Nico's arm and tried to drag him into an adjacent empty classroom. Unfortunately for Nico, she tried to do so by floating through the wall again.

"Ow! Myrtle!" Nico complained, his face squished against the wall.

Myrtle let go and floated back out into the hallway, her cheeks tinged slightly silver with embarrassment. "Oops. Sorry."

"Please remember that I am _alive_ …for the moment," Nico grumbled. He walked over to the door and entered the classroom, followed by Myrtle. "What did you want to tell me?"

"Death has gone missing," Myrtle announced dramatically. "Souls are escaping all over the place."

" _What?!_ "

"And they're not becoming ghosts! They're actually _coming back to life_!"

Nico's eyes widened. "Dad must be furious."

"I wouldn't know. I heard it from the Grey Lady, who heard it from the Fat Friar, who heard it from the Mangled Merchant…"

"Okay, I get it," Nico cut her off. "I suppose I'd better check this out. See if it's true or if it's just rumor, and if it's true…" He trailed off, his heart suddenly racing. "If Thanatos is really missing, and people are coming back to life…I could bring Bianca back! I wouldn't even need a soul to ransom!" He broke into a wide smile and threw his arms around his spectral friend. "Thank you, Myrtle!"

Myrtle smiled back, returning the hug. "You're welcome, Nico."

* * *

The next morning, Neville woke up when something fell on his cheek. Moments later, the sound of frightened croaking moved toward the edge of his bed. Neville fumbled around and caught Trevor just before he fell. "Morning, Trevor, s'matter with you?"

" _Ribbit!_ "

"I've got you, Trevor, don't worry."

" _Ribbit!_ "

"Ugh, what's the _matter_?" Neville finally opened his eyes and saw Vescia sitting on his pillow, looking rather pleased with herself. Trevor was croaking at the undead kitten, obviously terrified. "Vescia, did you drop Trevor on my face?"

"Meow!"

"Go cuddle Nico. You're scaring Trevor."

"Meow!"

"Oh, fine, I'll carry you over myself." Neville scooped up Vescia in his free hand, then noticed that Nico's curtains were open and his bed was empty. It didn't look like he'd slept in it last night.

"Okay, I guess you _can't_ cuddle Nico," Neville realized. "But please stop scaring Trevor." He took Vescia over to Nico's bed. She immediately jumped onto the ground and started rubbing against Neville's legs. He sighed and gave up. He put Trevor on his own bed, then set about getting dressed.

* * *

When Neville went down to the common room a few minutes later, Vescia followed him. Ginny was already there, halfway to the portrait hole, but she stopped when she saw Vescia. "Good morning, kitty. How are you?" Ginny crouched down to scratch Vescia's ears.

"Mew?"

"Don't worry, I don't have my diary," Ginny assured, still scratching.

"What's your diary got to do with anything?" Neville wondered.

"For some reason, Vescia hates my diary," Ginny explained. "She tries to shred it every time she sees it. Luckily, her claws don't seem to be very sharp."

"Maybe she's jealous that you pay attention to it instead of her?" Neville suggested.

"Probably," Ginny agreed with a shrug. She stood up and looked around. "Where's Nico?"

"No idea. His bed didn't look slept in."

Hermione joined them. "Nico's gone missing?" she asked worriedly.

"I don't know!" Neville said helplessly. "Maybe he got up early and made his bed."

Hermione frowned. "That doesn't sound like him."

"What, you think his family broke into Hogwarts and kidnapped him?"

"Wouldn't put it past them."

"Or maybe he's at breakfast," Ginny cut in. "Why don't we just go down and see?" She scooped up Vescia.

"Are you…taking Vescia?" Hermione asked.

"She needs breakfast too, doesn't she?"

"She's _dead_ ," Hermione pointed out. "She doesn't eat or sleep. And the sight of her would probably kill most people's appetites." Ginny's face fell.

Neville hurriedly spoke up. "Why don't you take her out to the grounds and we'll grab some breakfast and meet you there?"

Ginny brightened. "Okay! I'd love to see the Quidditch pitch!"

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Hermione and Neville brought some toast out to Ginny at the Quidditch pitch. "No sign of Nico," Hermione said worriedly. "Can't imagine where he might be."

"It's the _weekend_ ," Neville replied with a shrug. "I'm sure he'll turn up by Monday."

"Wow! What happened to that cat?" a voice asked behind them. Colin Creevey was staring at Vescia, his camera in hand.

"She was tortured to death by some awful kid and then Nico's grandfather reanimated her," Hermione answered.

"Cool!"

Neville looked at Hermione. "How is it that Nico's cat has gotten more popular than he is?"

"Good question," Hermione mused as Ron took a seat in the stands nearby.

"Have you guys seen a Quidditch match before?" Colin asked eagerly.

"Yes," they all answered.

"What's it like?"

Hermione, Neville and Ginny continued answering Colin's enthusiastic questions until about ten minutes later when the Gryffindor team emerged from the locker rooms, brooms in hand. Colin finally shut up and began taking pictures as the team took off for practice. The Gryffindors had barely gotten started when the Slytherin team also walked onto the field. The Gryffindors landed in front of them and Wood began shouting.

"This can't end well," Hermione muttered. She, Neville, Ginny and Ron all exited the stands and walked onto the field.

"What's happening?" Ron called to Harry. "Why aren't you playing? And what's _he_ doing here?" Ron jerked his head at Malfoy, who had apparently joined the Slytherin team.

"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," Malfoy said smugly. "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father bought our team."

He held out his broomstick, showing that it was a Nimbus 2001. The rest of the Slytherin team carried identical broomsticks.

"Good, aren't they?" Malfoy continued. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them." The Slytherin team broke into jeering laughter.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to _buy_ their way in," Hermione snapped. " _They_ got in on pure talent."

Malfoy's sneer vanished, replaced with an ugly expression. "No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood."

His words caused an instant uproar. Flint had to dive in front of Malfoy to stop Fred and George jumping on him, Ginny dropped Vescia in order to clap her hands over her mouth, and Ron drew his wand and pointed it underneath Flint's arm at Malfoy. "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" he yelled.

A loud bang echoed around the stadium and a jet of green light shot out of Ron's wand to strike Malfoy. Malfoy lurched backwards and fell onto the grass. He choked and coughed, then he belched and several slugs fell out of his mouth. The Gryffindors stared in shock, then burst into laughter.

"You filthy, sniveling blood traitor!" Flint yelled angrily. He tried to lunge for Ron, but Fred and George blocked him.

"My father will— _burp_ —hear about this!" Malfoy snarled, coughing up more slugs.

"You know who else would love to hear about this?" Fred asked, smirking. " _Nico._ "

Malfoy turned pale and coughed up even more slugs.

"You keep your mouth shut, we'll do the same," George offered. Malfoy nodded weakly, preoccupied with yet another slug attack.

"Come on," Harry said quietly, pulling Ron away. The rest of the Gryffindors followed them into the castle.

"That was _amazing_ , Ron," Neville praised enthusiastically.

"Totally showed up him up!" Ginny added, hugging her brother.

"What—what exactly _did_ Malfoy say?" Hermione asked uncertainly. "I mean, I could tell it was bad…"

Everyone's smiles faded. "He called you a 'Mudblood'," Ron said quietly, his face twisted in disgust. "It's a really _foul_ name for Muggle-borns."

"Some wizards think they're better than everyone else because they're 'pure-blood'," Neville explained. "Not a Muggle in the family tree, or at least not for many generations. Completely stupid—look at you and me, I'm a pure-blood and you're a Muggle-born but your marks are much better than mine."

"It's a disgusting thing to call someone," Fred chimed in. "Dirty blood. Common blood."

"As if there are any wizards left without _some_ Muggle heritage," George continued. "If we hadn't married Muggles, we'd have died out."

"So…if Nico ever hears about this, he'll probably murder Malfoy," Hermione summed up.

"Pretty much," Neville agreed.

"Why do you think I used him as a threat?" Fred added.

Harry looked around. "Where _is_ Nico, anyway?"

Hermione stiffened. "Couldn't tell you."

"Come on, let's get some breakfast," Alicia said quickly, steering Harry into the Great Hall. Ron and the other Gryffindor players followed them. Hermione, Neville and Ginny dispersed to go about their day.

* * *

That evening, Hermione sat by the fire in the common room, reading a book. She had completely tuned out the surrounding world until she overheard the phrase "my impending fiery death". Her head snapped up, and she saw Leo joking with Fred and George nearby.

"Did you just say you're going to die a fiery death?" Hermione asked, certain she must have misheard.

"Yep," Leo said cheerfully. "Or at least, that's what Professor Trelawney has been saying ever since we started taking Divination last year. I think she needs to double check her Inner Eye."

Fred snorted. "As if _Leo_ could die a fiery death."

Hermione frowned at the trio. "Um…I'm not saying I place a great deal of faith in Divination, but why are you talking like it's _impossible_ for Leo to die a fiery death?"

Leo glanced at the twins. George nodded encouragingly. "Go on, show her."

Leo sighed and walked over to the fireplace. " _This_ is why." He stuck his hand straight into the flames. Hermione yelped in surprise, but Leo seemed entirely unbothered by the fact that his hand was on fire. He withdrew a burning log, casually twirled it, then returned it to the fireplace. He brushed the soot off his hand, showing that it was completely uninjured.

"Amazing," Hermione said, fascinated. "How did you do that?"

Leo shrugged. "No idea. I've been immune to fire for as long as I can remember."

"Very useful ability when we need to test explosives," Fred commented.

"Saves us a lot of time that would otherwise be spent on Hair-Regrowing charms," George added.

Hermione gave them a wary look. "Why would you be testing explosives?"

The trio shared a glance, then answered in unison. "No reason."

Suddenly, there was a loud noise near the portrait hole. Vescia was growling at Ginny, her hackles raised. Hermione hurried over and scooped up the undead kitten. Vescia struggled, obviously trying to get at the redhead. Ginny didn't seem to notice any of this; she went straight through the portrait hole without a backwards glance.

"Vescia!" Hermione scolded. "What was that about? You _like_ Ginny, remember?"

Vescia's fur slowly flattened again. She blinked a few times, then began licking one of the bleeding scratches she'd given Hermione.

"Wow," Neville said. "I thought she only did that to Harry."

"Apparently not," Hermione replied, baffled. "Silly cat."

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, Hermione sat next to Ginny. "Good morning. Any idea why Vescia got mad at you last night?"

Ginny gave Hermione a blank look. "What are you talking about?"

"She growled at you when you left Gryffindor Tower, remember?"

"I left Gryffindor Tower?"

"Uh…yes? I think most of the house saw you, what with the racket that Vescia was making…"

"Huh." Ginny looked confused. "I must have been sleepwalking."

"Maybe. You _did_ look a little out of it."

Neville sat down opposite them. "You'll be happy to know that Nico's back."

"Oh, good," Hermione replied, relieved. She looked around, but Neville appeared to be alone. "…where is he?"

"Dead to the world again, just like on the train. When he wakes up, I'm going to suggest he see Madam Pomfrey. That can't be healthy."

"Well, at least he hasn't been kidnapped or murdered or anything," Hermione mused. She could only assume that Nico had done some long-distance shadow-traveling…but where had he gone? And why?

* * *

Hermione waited and waited, but Nico slept through all of Sunday. He did not emerge from his dormitory until shortly before the end of breakfast on Monday. He sat down next to Hermione and poured himself a glass of orange juice. "Morning, Hazel."

"Uh…my name's Hermione, remember?"

"Huh? Oh." Nico took a sip of orange juice and immediately gagged. "Blech! What's this?"

"…orange juice?"

"I hate orange juice," Nico grumbled. He poured himself a glass of milk instead.

Hermione eyed him with mild concern. "…right. Care to explain what you've been up to this weekend?"

Nico started mumbling in what sounded like Greek.

"In English, please."

"Broke Hazel out of Asphodel and brought her to New Rome. The legion was a bit reluctant, but they took her in. Don't know how I'll stay in touch, though…maybe I should quit Hogwarts and join the legion."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down! Who is Hazel and why are you considering quitting Hogwarts for her?"

"Hazel's my sister," Nico explained, spreading jam on his bacon.

"Your…I thought Bianca was your only sibling."

"Hazel's my _half-_ sister," Nico clarified. "Daughter of Pluto. Died a few months after Bianca and I went into the hotel." He took a bite of his bacon, then frowned at it. "What's wrong with this toast?"

"That's not toast, Nico, that's bacon. And how about you start from the beginning?"

Nico stared at his bacon, apparently wondering how his toast had transformed. Then he grabbed a slice of actual toast and spread jam on it while he recounted his weekend for Hermione.

Once Nico had finished, Hermione had no idea what to say. She didn't want to admit it, but she was a little hurt that he seemed so ready to abandon Hogwarts (and Hermione) for his newfound half-sister. "Well, that's…good," Hermione finally said. "I'm glad you found her."

Nico stared morosely at his plate. "Yeah, but I'm in Scotland and she's in California. And the Romans don't do Iris-messages. How am I ever going to see her?"

"Write letters?"

"We're both dyslexic. And she doesn't read Greek, she reads Latin."

"Well, you both _can_ read English, even if it's hard. And you both know how to make your writing as dyslexia-friendly as possible. In fact, it'll be good practice for you."

"What about the owls? Just because some of them like _me_ , that doesn't mean they'll like Hazel."

Hermione gave him a strange look. "You mean the screech owls? I'm sure they'll like Hazel too. They're one of your father's sacred animals, didn't you know?"

Nico stared at her. "He has other sacred animals? I thought he just had sacred cattle."

"No, screech owls are sacred too. Supposedly their cries are bad omens. He's your _father_ , how did you not know that?"

Nico turned slightly red and mumbled something through a mouthful of toast.

"What was that?"

Nico swallowed, determinedly not looking at Hermione. "It wasn't on his Mythomagic card."

"His…you know what, I'm not going to ask." Hermione glanced around the nearly-empty hall. "We should probably get to class."

"Yeah." Nico set down his half-eaten toast, his gaze somewhere far away. "You know, you're like a sister to me too. But Hazel…she's a child of the Underworld, like me. She's from the past, like me. She _gets_ it."

"You mean she's your _real_ sister."

"I mean…ugh, I'm terrible with feelings." Nico sighed. "I'm trying to say you're still my best friend, okay?"

"Oh. Thanks."

"You're welcome." Nico stood up and led the way to class, looking relieved to escape the conversation.

* * *

 **A/N: Quick note for anyone who's fuzzy on the book timeline** **—** **Harry's detention with Lockhart happened on Saturday night.**


	17. Nico Doesn't Know How to Dance

Weeks passed, and September faded to a dreary October. Clouds covered the sky and rain lashed the castle walls, though the gloom didn't seem to bother Nico. He wrote to Hazel several times a week, he befriended a few thestrals in the forest, and he taught Hermione some basic Italian. Life was going rather well, all things considered.

About a week before Halloween, a screech owl delivered another letter from Hazel. Percy Weasley immediately walked over to frown at Nico. "Why is Hermes delivering a letter to you?"

Nico's eyes widened and he looked around the Great Hall. "What?"

"My _owl_. Why are you using my owl?"

Nico looked back at the bird. "Oh. Sorry, I didn't know he was yours. I walked into the Owlery with a letter the other day, and he flew up to me and offered his leg. I assumed he was a school owl."

Percy picked up his owl. "Well, he's mine. Please use an actual school owl in the future." He returned to his seat.

Hermione giggled. "Did you think he meant Hermes the actual god?" she asked quietly.

"Well, he _is_ basically the mailman of the gods…" Nico replied, slightly embarrassed. He unfolded the letter and began reading. After several minutes, his brow creased in a frown.

"Something wrong?" Hermione asked.

"Jason's disappeared," Nico said worriedly. "One of the praetors of the legion. They've looked everywhere, but they've found no trace of him. And he's not the type to wander off."

"You think something's happened to him?"

"Probably, though I don't think he's dead. I'm pretty sure I'd sense it if he was."

"You can sense that all the way from here?"

"From anywhere, if I know the person well enough, and especially if I'm actively thinking about them." Nico paused pensively. "I wouldn't put it past Octavian to do something to Jason in the hopes of becoming his replacement…but that still leaves the question of _where_ Jason is…" He finished reading the letter, then folded it again. "Well, I'll poke around the Underworld this weekend. Doubt I'll find anything, but it's worth a look."

* * *

As Nico expected, his investigation in the Underworld turned up no leads on the missing praetor. He returned to school shortly before dinner ended and he scarfed down a plate of pot roast. On his way back to the common room, he encountered Nearly Headless Nick in an otherwise-empty corridor. Sir Nicholas was staring at a letter, looking morose.

"Sir Nicholas?" Nico said. "Everything all right?"

"Rejected for the three hundred and twenty-eighth time now," Sir Nicholas said sadly. "You _did_ once offer to put in a good word for me with the Headless Hunt, did you not?"

"Possibly," Nico shrugged. "Remind me what the Headless Hunt is?"

"A band of decapitated huntsmen," Sir Nicholas explained. "Apparently I 'don't fulfil requirements' because a centimeter of skin and sinew attaches my head to the rest of my body. Most people would think that's good and beheaded, but no, it's not enough for Sir Properly-Decapitated Podmore!"

"Well, it was certainly enough to kill you," Nico agreed.

Sir Nicholas suddenly perked up. "I don't suppose _you_ could remove it the rest of the way?"

Nico shook his head. "Your spectral form reflects your appearance at the moment of your death. If your head was partially attached at the time, then that's how you will appear—forever. Nothing I can do about that."

Sir Nicholas sighed. "Well, you could still _talk_ to Sir Patrick. I expect he'll be at my five hundredth deathday party this Halloween. It would be an honor if you would come. Miss Granger would be welcome too."

"Sure," Nico replied. "I don't know whether Hermione will be interested, but I'll be there."

Sir Nicholas broke into a wide smile. "Wonderful! The son of Hades, at _my_ deathday party! They'll be talking about it for centuries!"

"Okay, but please tell your guests not to bow and scrape and all of that. It's _your_ deathday, after all."

Sir Nicholas nodded, still beaming. "I'll tell them, of course. You're just another guest."

* * *

To Nico's surprise, Hermione was entirely on board with attending the deathday party. "I bet there aren't many living people who can say they've been to one of those," she said excitedly. "It'll be fascinating!"

"Yeah, it will," Nico agreed. "Just make sure to bring your own food. Trust me, you won't want to eat the food they provide."

"Why not?"

"You'll see."

At that moment, an explosion nearly made Nico jump out of his skin. A salamander was whizzing around the room, emitting loud bangs and tangerine-colored sparks. Fred and George were cheering, Percy was shouting, and Leo was building a cage with a built-in fire pit. Once the salamander touched down and regained its footing, Leo snatched it up and put it in the cage. Several people applauded and Leo took a bow. Percy threw his hands up in the air and walked away.

* * *

The night before Halloween, Nico dreamed of a teenage boy sitting on a bed in a dormitory. It wasn't the Gryffindor dormitory; the bedspreads were green and the light from the windows had a strange, watery quality. Nico guessed that this was the Slytherin dormitory. As for the teen…Nico didn't know his name, but he was vaguely familiar.

The teen had some sort of diary in his lap. He dipped a quill in an inkwell and began to write, murmuring aloud to himself. "30th October. My years of research have finally paid off. At long last, I can finish my ancestor's great work. Tomorrow, the purge of the school will begin."

The teen smiled coldly and sinisterly as he put down his quill. He blew on the ink to dry it.

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, Nico repeatedly scanned the Slytherin table, looking for the boy from his dream. However, he was nowhere to be seen.

"What are you looking for?" Hermione asked.

"I had a dream last night," Nico explained. "A Slytherin was writing in a diary, something about 'purging the school'. I could swear I knew him from somewhere, but I can't find him this morning."

"Purging the school?" Hermione repeated worriedly. "What do you think that means?"

"I don't know, but nothing good. Back in Italy, sometimes police would burst into our classroom and drag some kid away. We'd never see the kid again."

"That's horrible," Hermione said, eyes wide.

"Yeah. And I was terrified that Bianca and I would be next. People didn't like that our parents weren't married. A lot of the other children weren't allowed to play with us because of it." Nico swallowed and shuddered. "I think, if Grandfather hadn't been so influential, they probably _would_ have taken us away…"

"Well, I'm glad you weren't," Hermione stated. "Have you been back to Italy since getting out of the hotel? I'm sure things are better there now…"

Nico stared at his plate. "What would be the point? Almost everyone I knew is probably dead. And if any of them are left…well, either they wouldn't recognize me, or they wouldn't believe I'm the same person. Would _you_ , if you didn't know magic was real?"

"Probably not," Hermione conceded. "But didn't you have any _good_ memories?"

"Grandfather sometimes took the whole family with him on diplomatic missions to other countries, and that was fun. If people asked us about our father, we'd just say he was dead, and nobody judged us." Nico paused, reflecting on his childhood. "I guess my happiest memories were from when we _weren't_ in Italy."

Hermione sighed. "Well, at least you have some."

* * *

That night, they went down to the deathday party, bringing a few sandwiches they had saved from lunch. The corridor leading to the party was lined with thin, jet-black candles that burned bright blue. Nico and Hermione could hear a sound like thousands of nails on a blackboard.

Sir Nicholas stood at a doorway hung with black velvet drapes. "My dear friends," he said mournfully. "Welcome, welcome…so pleased that you came…" He swept off his plumed hat and bowed.

"Blessings upon your deathday," Nico replied in Greek. He inclined his head, then passed through the doorway.

Hundreds of ghosts filled the dungeon. Many of them waltzed around a dance floor. On a raised platform nearby, an orchestra played a few dozen musical saws. A large table contained several dishes of rotting food.

Hermione pulled her sandwich out of her pocket. "I see why you said to bring these."

"Yeah." Nico pulled out his own sandwich and ate it, looking around the room.

A ghost in an elaborate ball gown floated up to Nico. "Might I have a dance, my lord?"

"I…don't actually know how to dance," Nico admitted.

"Neither did my fiancé," the ghost lamented. "He tried to sweep me off my feet and instead he threw me off the balcony. At least, he _claimed_ it was an accident…" She drifted away, tears glistening on her cheeks.

At that moment, two more living people entered the dungeon—Harry and Ron. They quickly noticed Nico, then turned their backs and approached the food.

"What's _Harry_ doing here?" Nico complained.

"Nick must have invited him too," Hermione surmised. "You're both his guests, so can you at least _try_ to be nice to each other? For once?"

"I will if he does." Nico swallowed the last bite of his sandwich, then approached some other ghosts. "Hello, Helena. Have you met my friend Hermione?"

The Grey Lady swept into a curtsy. "I don't believe I have. Well met, young student."

"Hello," Hermione replied. She leaned over to whisper to Nico. "Am I supposed to curtsy too?"

"Only if you want to," Nico whispered back.

Hermione curtsied. "You're the ghost of Ravenclaw Tower, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," the Grey Lady answered, looking pleased. "And this is Sir George and Lady Catherine, both graduates of House Ravenclaw."

"We are honored, my lord," the other two ghosts said in unison, bowing and curtsying respectively.

"Nice to meet you, too. What places do you normally haunt?"

"Our old manor near Edinburgh," Sir George replied. "The Muggles began giving 'ghost tours' a few years ago. Of course we never let them see us, but it is terribly amusing."

"Sometimes I start wailing loudly, just to see how they react," Lady Catherine added.

"And how _do_ they react?" Nico asked, interested.

"It varies. Some are terrified, some excited, and some convinced that it's a hoax. But the tour guides make good money off of us."

"So, it's a win-win for you and the tour guides," Nico concluded.

"Indeed," Sir George agreed, smiling.

Suddenly, there was a commotion over near Harry and Ron. Myrtle was fleeing the room, sobbing loudly. Peeves was chasing her, hurling insults and pelting her with peanuts.

Nico excused himself and hurried after Myrtle. He caught up with her near the entrance hall. "Hey, you're not seriously going to listen to Peeves, are you? You know he just likes to cause trouble."

"He's not the only one who talks to me like that," Myrtle sobbed. "Everyone does. Except you."

"Well, I'm smarter than them. And have you looked in a mirror lately? You don't have a single pimple."

"No, but I'm ugly. Ugly, miserable, moping, moaning Myrtle!"

"No! Pretty, kind, intelligent, misunderstood Myrtle!"

"No! Moaning Myrtle! MOANING MYRTLE! Just leave me alone!" Myrtle gasped and clapped a hand to her mouth. "Oh no. I just shouted at the son of Hades…"

"I'm not angry at you, Myrtle, just calm down, please!"

"I can't believe I did that. I'm so sorry, my lord, so sorry!" Myrtle rapidly moved away, heading toward her bathroom. "It won't happen again!"

Nico sighed and gave up. Maybe tomorrow, Myrtle would be a bit more reasonable. He returned to the deathday party.

Hermione was standing by herself, looking awkward. "There you are," she said, looking relieved. "How do you know Moaning Myrtle? I didn't think she ever left her bathroom."

"I saw her leave once, but that was the only time," Nico replied. "I go there every time I want to make an Iris-Message. No one else ever comes in."

"Yes, well, it's really annoying trying to use the toilet with her wailing at you…"

Nico glared at Hermione. "She's quite nice if you bother talking to her. _Without_ insulting her."

"Er…sorry," Hermione said sheepishly.

A hunting horn sounded somewhere nearby. A dozen ghost horses burst through the wall, each carrying a headless horseman. The partygoers clapped wildly, though Sir Nicholas looked less than pleased.

The horses galloped into the middle of the dance floor and halted. The ghost at the front of the pack dismounted, his head held in one arm. He lifted his head high over the crowd so he could see, then he approached Sir Nicholas and put his head back on his neck.

"Nick!" he exclaimed jovially. "How are you? Head still hanging in there?" He clapped Sir Nicholas on the shoulder.

"Welcome, Sir Patrick," Sir Nicholas said stiffly.

Sir Patrick spotted Nico. "Well, what do we have here? It is an honor to meet you, my lord, an honor indeed!" He swept into a bow, causing his head to fall off and roll away until it hit Nico's foot. Without thinking, Nico nudged the head to send it rolling back to Sir Patrick.

"Did you just…touch his head?" Harry demanded, eyes wide.

"Don't be ridiculous," Nico said quickly. He turned to Sir Patrick. "I hear you've been rejecting my friend Sir Nicholas. Repeatedly."

Sir Patrick picked up his head again, looking slightly nervous. "It's nothing personal, my lord—we can only accept huntsmen whose heads have parted company with their bodies. Surely you can understand that otherwise it would be impossible to participate in activities such as Horseback Head-Juggling and Head Polo."

Nico raised his eyebrows. "I see. Nothing personal. You're certain about that."

"Entirely certain, my lord."

"You'd better be," Nico said stiffly.

Sir Nicholas cleared his throat. "If I could have everyone's attention, it is time for my speech!" He walked toward the stage and climbed into an icy blue spotlight. "My late lamented lords, ladies and gentlemen, it is my great sorrow…"

Nobody heard the rest of the sentence, because the Headless Hunt had just started a game of Head Hockey. Sir Nicholas tried in vain to recapture the crowd's attention. After about a minute of this, Nico got fed up.

"EVERYBODY FREEZE!" Nico yelled. Once the crowd had frozen, he continued more quietly. "I believe it is Sir Nicholas's deathday, so how about we do him the courtesy of listening to his speech?"

"Thank you," Sir Nicholas said, beaming at Nico. He began his speech again while the crowd politely listened. Once he finished, the crowd clapped and the Headless Hunt began another game.

Nico looked around. "Where'd Harry and Ron go?"

"I don't know," Hermione replied, shivering. "Can we leave now? I'm freezing."

"Sure. Let's just say good-bye to Sir Nicholas first."

* * *

Outside the dungeons, the castle was much warmer. Nico felt slightly guilty when he noticed that Hermione's lips were faintly blue. "I guess I'm a bit resistant to the cold," he commented. "Never realized that before."

"Probably," Hermione agreed. "Everything around you gets cold when you get upset, have you noticed?"

"No, I hadn't noticed. Sorry."

"It's okay." Hermione rubbed some warmth back into her hands as they reached the entrance hall. "You're a lot more sociable with ghosts."

"I guess I just feel more comfortable with them."

Right at that moment, the rest of the school burst out of the Great Hall, talking loudly. Nico and Hermione were soon swept along with the rest of the crowd as they made their way upstairs. The crowd slowed to a halt in the corridor by Myrtle's bathroom, and the talking died out. It was easy to see why—a message had been written on the wall in dark red letters so big that Nico could read them without too much difficulty.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED.  
ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.

Next to the writing, a feline form hung by its tail from a torch bracket. Mrs. Norris had become rigid and completely immobile, her wide eyes staring at a puddle beneath her. Harry and Ron stood by the writing and the cat, looking extremely nervous.

Then Draco Malfoy pushed his way to the front of the crowd, grinning wickedly. "Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

* * *

 **A/N: Before anyone complains about the timing of Jason's disappearance, Hazel said in _The Son of Neptune_ that he disappeared in October.**


	18. Luna Is a Stalker

Malfoy's shouting quickly attracted Filch, who shouldered his way through the crowd. When he saw Mrs. Norris, he drew back with a cry of horror. "My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" His gaze landed on Harry, and his voice rose to a screech. " _You! You!_ You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll—"

" _Argus!_ " Dumbledore had arrived on the scene, along with several other teachers. He swept past Harry and Ron and detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket.

"Come with me, Argus," Dumbledore said to Filch. "You too, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley."

Lockhart eagerly stepped forward. "My office is nearest, Headmaster—just upstairs—please feel free—"

"Thank you, Gilderoy," Dumbledore cut him off.

The silent crowd parted to let them past. Once Harry, Ron and the teachers had disappeared from sight, the remaining students began to disperse, gossiping amongst themselves.

"I guess we just found out what your dream was foretelling," Hermione said quietly to Nico. "Seems a bit odd that they started out by killing a _cat_ , though…"

Nico shook his head. "He didn't kill her."

"What? But—"

"She's not dead. I don't know what in Tartarus is wrong with her, but I know a corpse from a living creature. At this range, there's no way I'd be mistaken."

"So…do you have any theories as to what _did_ happen?"

Nico looked around. "I don't know, but I'm going to try to find that Slytherin. He's got to come back to his dormitory sooner or later."

Hermione gaped. "You're going to the _Slyth—_ "

Nico did not hear the rest of her sentence, because he'd already vanished into the shadows.

* * *

Nico reappeared in a darkened corner of the dormitory from his dream. To his relief, it was empty; he'd taken somewhat of a gamble on that. He looked around for a better hiding spot, then crawled under one of the beds. He shifted so that he could see the door, then settled down to wait.

After several minutes, the door opened. Much to Nico's surprise and confusion, the students who entered were not teenagers—they were Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle.

" _No_ , Crabbe, I _don't_ know who actually did this, how many times do I have to tell you?" Malfoy said, sounding annoyed.

"But then how did you know the Mudbloods would be next?" Crabbe demanded.

"Because Father has told me about the Chamber, you idiot." Malfoy sat down on the bed above Nico and began taking off his shoes. "I'd like to know who it is, though…I could help them…"

"You think it's someone from our house?" Goyle suggested, sitting on what was presumably his own bed.

"It's the Heir of _Slytherin_ , not the Heir of Gryffindor or Hufflepuff…it's _got_ to be one of us."

The door opened again, and Blaise Zabini entered the room. "Some night, huh?" he said, walking over to another bed.

"Yeah," Malfoy agreed. "This is going to be a _very_ interesting year."

Blaise grimaced. "Seems a bit extreme, if you ask me."

"Yeah, well, I _didn't_ ask you, did I?" Malfoy retorted irritably.

"If you ever want to be as influential as your father, you're going to have to learn that other people's opinions matter," Blaise said calmly.

"Hmph." The bed creaked above Nico; he guessed that Malfoy had lain down.

None of the boys seemed inclined to further conversation. When a minute passed in silence, Nico decided he was unlikely to learn any more from the Slytherins that night. He shadow-traveled to an alcove near Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

Inside the common room, Hermione, Neville and Vescia were all attempting to comfort a rather distraught Ginny. "Come on, they'll catch the _real_ culprit soon," Neville was saying.

This did not seem to make Ginny feel any better; she drew her knees up to her chest and shuddered. Vescia pawed at her, whining.

"Besides, Filch's cat wasn't anywhere near as nice as Vescia," Hermione added. "Trust me."

"What if Vescia's next?" Ginny fretted. "What if _you're_ next, Hermione? You're a Mu—er, a Muggle-born!"

"Anyone attacks Hermione, they'll regret it," Nico growled, causing Ginny to jump. "What happened to Harry and Ron?"

"They're going to be expelled," Ginny said shakily.

"No, they're _not_ ," Hermione said firmly. "They wouldn't have done something like this, and Dumbledore knows that."

Vescia apparently gave up on Ginny and jumped into Nico's arms. He absently petted her. "So…is 'Mudblood' another word for Muggle-born?"

"Technically, yes, but not one you'd hear in polite conversation," Neville said, scowling.

"It's like…like calling a gay person the f-word," Hermione added.

Nico stared blankly at her. "Why would anyone swear at people just for being happy?"

Hermione looked slightly awkward. "That's, uh, not what…you know what, never mind. Like calling a black person the n-word—you've heard of that one, right?"

"So, basically, a racial slur," Nico concluded.

"Yeah," Neville confirmed.

"Muggle-borns are going to start dying," Ginny muttered, curling up even tighter.

Nico yawned, drowsy after his bout of shadow-traveling. "Well, I'm exhausted. Good night."

"Good night," Hermione and Neville chorused.

* * *

Harry and Ron were not expelled, and word soon spread that Mrs. Norris had in fact been Petrified. The next morning, Hermione wolfed down her breakfast and left the Great Hall almost as soon as Nico arrived. Bemused by her odd behavior, Nico ate more slowly and then left for class. Luna caught up to him in the entrance hall. "What class do you have now?" she asked.

"Charms, why?"

"Oh good, that's mostly on the way to History of Magic." Luna fell into step beside Nico.

"Okay…why is that good?" Nico asked, perplexed.

"Well, Malfoy seemed happiest about the whole Chamber of Secrets thing, which makes him the most likely suspect, and he's scared of you, so that means that staying near you is probably the safest thing to do right now."

"I doubt a _second-year_ is really the culprit," Nico argued. "Besides, aren't you a pure-blood?"

"…well, yes," Luna admitted. "But Mrs. Norris wasn't a Muggle-born either, and look what happened to her."

Nico shrugged. "Fine, if you're really that scared, then stick with me."

* * *

After lunch (during which Hermione once again wolfed down her food and sped out of the hall), Nico decided to go check on Myrtle. He stopped short when he reached the corridor outside her bathroom—Filch was pacing underneath the Heir's ominous message, and he looked desperate for an excuse to hand out punishments. Nico drew back around the corner and shadow-traveled into Myrtle's bathroom.

"Myrtle?" Nico called cautiously. "Myrtle, are you here?"

"I'm here," Myrtle said dully, her voice muffled. She seemed to be hiding in the U-bend of her usual toilet. "Don't know why I ever left."

"You feeling any better today?"

"No," Myrtle said miserably. "I tried to kill myself last night, but then I remembered that I'm already dead…"

"Why would you want to kill yourself? I told you I wasn't mad at you."

"It wasn't just you. Peeves said all those horrible things…"

"He's mean to _everyone_ , you can't take it personally." Nico paused, thinking. "Actually, he's too scared of _me_ to insult me…I bet if I told him to lay off you, he would."

"You would do that for me?" Myrtle asked, a glimmer of hope entering her voice.

"Of course I would, you're my friend."

Myrtle slowly rose out of the toilet. "Thanks."

"No problem." Nico glanced over his shoulder at the door. "By the way, you wouldn't happen to have seen whoever Petrified Mrs. Norris last night?"

"No, sorry. Had no idea anyone got Petrified."

Nico sighed. "All right, well thank you." He shadow-traveled back to his original spot around the corner.

"Aha!" Luna cried triumphantly.

"Aaahh!" Nico cast a quick look around the corridor, his heart racing. They were alone.

"You just disappeared and then reappeared out of thin air, there's no point in denying it," Luna continued.

"Denying…what?" Nico asked warily.

Luna smiled. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

"Uh…thanks." Nico swallowed. "Just out of curiosity…what secret are we talking about?"

"That you're really a ghost who drains people's life forces to give himself physical form."

Nico's jaw dropped. "Wow. You've managed to come up with a story that's even _weirder_ than the truth. I'm impressed."

Luna looked skeptical. "Well, if you're not a ghost, then what's the real story?"

Nico shook his head, mildly amused now. "You know what, I think I like your version better. Let's go with that."

Luna shrugged. "Okay, ghost buddy. What class do you have next?"

* * *

As soon as the last class of the day ended, Hermione hurried out of the room. Nico eventually tracked her down in the library, where she had a large stack of books in front of her. She skimmed through them at an impressive speed, ignoring Nico's greeting. He gave up and sat down next to her, pulling out his homework.

* * *

Over the next few days, Hermione continued to devote every spare moment to her mysterious research. Any attempt at conversation was met with vague, one-word responses. Nico had to do his own reading for homework, which took a _very_ long time. Several days passed before Hermione even thought to ask him about his excursion to the Slytherin dormitories.

"Well, I can tell you that Malfoy's definitely not the culprit, but that's about it. Apparently the dormitory from my dream is the second-year dormitory. No idea why that boy was in it; he looked like he was in fifth or sixth year. And I still haven't seen him anywhere in the rest of the school."

"Hmm." Hermione opened her book again. "If only I'd had room in my trunk for _Hogwarts, A History_ …"

"Why, were you looking for something in particular?"

"I'm trying to find the legend of the Chamber of Secrets," Hermione explained. "I _know_ it was in _Hogwarts, A History_ …but there wasn't room in my trunk with all the Lockhart books, and all the library copies have been checked out. There's a two week—where are you going?"

Nico pulled a book off a shelf in the Ancient Greek section and brought it back to Hermione. "Not _all_ the copies have been checked out. Chamber of Secrets, you say? Do you remember where in the book it was?"

"It was at the end of the section on the four founders, I think…"

Nico glanced at the table of contents, then flipped through the book until he found the relevant section. "Okay, bear with me, I'm having to translate this as I go…'Legend has it that prior to his departure, Slytherin built a hidden chamber somewhere in the castle. When he left, he sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none heir but—sorry, none but his true heir would be able to open it. Only the heir would be able to open the chamber and control the monster within, and use it to purge the school of students that Slytherin considered unworthy to study magic.'"

"Muggle-borns," Hermione said quietly. "I remember that part, Slytherin thought Muggle-borns were untrustworthy."

Nico grimaced and kept reading. "'The school has been searched many times throughout the years. The Chamber of Secrets has never been found. Many speculate that the tale is nothing more than a myth, though there are rumors of occasional monstrous attacks throughout the centuries.'" Nico looked up. "You know, a monster would make sense. I know there are monsters that turn people to stone…though last I heard, Percy fought Medusa in New Jersey, so I'm pretty sure she's not Slytherin's monster…"

"Are there any other monsters that turn people to stone?" Hermione prompted.

"None that come to mind. I'll ask Hazel, maybe she can think of one I missed."

"Might not be a creature from Greek or Roman mythology, though," Hermione mused. "Not all creatures in the wizarding world are mythological—did you ever hear of thestrals in any myths?"

"No," Nico admitted. "But I don't know much about non-mythological magical creatures."

"Hmm." Hermione began packing up her bag. "Well, we'd better get to class."

Nico was suddenly struck with a mental image of Hermione turning just as stiff and lifeless as Mrs. Norris. "Don't go anywhere alone, please? It's not exactly a secret that your parents are Muggles…"

"I'll be careful, I promise," Hermione assured.

* * *

The night before the year's first Quidditch match, Nico had another dream about the mysterious Slytherin. This time, the teen was walking down a torchlit hallway. An unfamiliar man rounded the corner and started in surprise. "Tom! What are you doing, wandering the corridors at this hour?"

"As a school prefect, I feel it is my duty to patrol the school and make sure students are safe during these dark times," Tom said calmly.

The man shook his head. "The staff can manage that. You need to go back to your common room, Tom. It's not safe, especially for you."

Nico saw anger flare in Tom's eyes, though the man didn't seem to notice. "Especially for me?" Tom said icily.

"Nearly everyone knows you live in a Muggle orphanage, Tom, there's no use denying it."

"That doesn't mean my parents were Muggles," Tom retorted stiffly. "I know my mother was a witch."

"Be that as it may, I think it best you stay in the common room at night," the man said apologetically. "I can walk you there."

"No thank you, Professor Slughorn. I can make it there myself." Tom flashed a charming smile, then turned around and marched away. Once he had rounded a corner, his face twisted into an ugly expression. "I am _not_ a Mudblood," he growled quietly. "I'll show them…"

* * *

Nico started awake. He stared at his canopy, thinking about the unknown teacher. He was quite certain that he had never seen the man before, nor did he recognize the name "Slughorn". And he still hadn't seen "Tom" outside of dreams. What was going on?

Vescia crawled out from under his covers and nudged his hand, begging for attention. Nico began petting her and murmuring in Italian. "We can solve this mystery, puffball, can't we? We'll find this 'Tom' before he hurts anyone…especially Hermione…"

"You actually speak Italian," said a surprised-sounding voice. Harry was sitting up in bed and staring at Nico.

"Of course I do," Nico said irritably. "I told you, I _am_ Italian. It's my first language."

"If you really are Italian, then why the hell did you spend a year pretending to be American?"

Nico sighed, not in the mood to fight. "It's complicated. Short version is, I actually believed I _was_ American." He scratched Vescia's ears, then looked up at Harry. "Do you have any idea what it's like, to find out one day that everything you thought you knew about yourself is a lie?"

"Actually, yes," Harry said quietly. "My aunt and uncle always told me that my parents died in a car crash and there was no such thing as magic. Then one day Hagrid busted down the front door and told me my parents were wizards, murdered by a dark wizard, and I'm a wizard too."

Nico snorted humorlessly. "You're lucky. You found out you were the hero of the wizarding world. People usually like you before they even get to know you. My sister and I…we discovered a much worse truth."

"You have a sister?" Harry said, surprised.

" _Had_ a sister. She died about two years ago."

Harry fell silent for a moment. "I'm sorry."

Nico scowled. "Don't lie. You couldn't care less about Bianca." He yanked his curtains shut. What had possessed him to open up to Harry Potter, anyway?

* * *

At breakfast, Nico quietly told Hermione about his dream. She didn't know any Professor Slughorn either, and the man definitely wasn't sitting anywhere at the teachers' table. Nico couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing some important detail.

Once they finished eating, they got up to go to the Quidditch pitch. Hermione easily reached the doors, but Nico walked right into Colin Creevey and they both took a spill.

"Sorry!" Colin said hurriedly, picking up his camera. He glanced at Nico's hand. "Say, why do you wear a ring with a skull?"

"Because I like skulls," Nico replied, annoyed. "Excuse me."

"Why would you like _skulls_?" Colin asked, not moving out of the way.

"Because they don't talk back and get in the way," Nico snapped. Colin finally stepped aside, looking intimidated. Nico hurried to catch up to Hermione.

* * *

Nico, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny all joined Leo on his modified bench. "Looks like it's going to rain," Neville commented.

Ginny shivered and pulled her cloak closer around herself. "I hope not."

"Will the game get canceled if it rains?" Nico asked.

Ginny and Neville both gave him funny looks. "Why would it get canceled?" Neville asked.

"I'm pretty sure Muggle sports are usually canceled for bad weather," Nico said somewhat defensively. The players took off.

Leo snorted. "One thing I've learned since joining the wizarding world…wizards are _serious_ about their Quidditch."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's just a _game_."

Neville and Ginny both stared at her. "It's _Quidditch_."

"And clearly a great opportunity for people to try to kill Harry," Nico added, jerking his head in Harry's direction. The other students followed his gaze to see Fred and George guarding Harry from the relentless attacks of one of the Bludgers. Despite the twins' best efforts, the Bludger refused to attack anyone other than Harry.

"Do you think Harry will be all right?" Ginny asked nervously.

"Fred and George are two of the best Beaters this school has ever seen," Leo said confidently. "They won't let Harry get hurt."

"Uh, yeah, but the other Bludger is causing mayhem and we're losing," Neville pointed out.

"Doesn't your remote do anything that might help?" Hermione asked hopefully.

Leo shook his head. "I've only modified the stands, I can't really do much about a rogue Bludger. Though I _did_ make parachutes for everyone, so Harry should be okay if he falls."

At that moment, Wood called a time out. The Gryffindors flew down to the ground and stood in a huddle.

"It's really cold out here," Ginny complained, shivering as the rain became heavier. "Leo, does this thing get any warmer?"

"Sorry, it's already turned up to high."

"I can make waterproof fires," Hermione suggested. She pulled out her wand and looked for something to contain a fire.

"Here," Leo offered, holding out his hand. Hermione pointed her wand at him and conjured a small, blue flame in his hand. He shifted to hold the fire next to Ginny.

Nico gaped. "How…"

"He's fireproof," Ginny explained. "No one knows why, he just is."

"Huh." Nico returned his attention to the field as the players took off again. Fred and George had shifted their focus to the other Bludger, and Harry performed some impressive aerial acrobatics to avoid the rogue one. The Slytherins laughed and jeered, but Harry ignored them.

Eventually, Malfoy shouted something that apparently distracted Harry. Harry stayed still long enough for the Bludger to smash into his arm. He slid dangerously to the side, but he kept his seat and dodged the Bludger's next attack. He shot toward Malfoy, who hurriedly flew out of the way. Harry took his good arm off the broom and snatched a glinting object out of the air. Then he careened toward the ground as the Gryffindors shouted in mingled triumph and concern.

Harry hit the mud and rolled off his broom. Several teachers and most of the Gryffindors left the stands and hurried to Harry's side. Nico headed straight back to the castle.

* * *

Back in the common room, the Gryffindors started a party to celebrate their victory. Harry was absent; Neville told Nico how Lockhart had "mended" Harry's broken arm by removing the bones. Harry would now have to spend the night in the hospital wing to regrow them. For Neville's sake, Nico tried not to look too happy about that.

* * *

Nico went to bed early. He dreamed that Colin Creevey snuck out of Gryffindor Tower after the party ended, carrying his camera and a bunch of grapes. He crept quietly through the halls, heading in the direction of the hospital wing.

Halfway down a flight of stairs, Colin spotted something odd. Spiders scuttled up the wall, climbing a single strand of web like a rope. Colin dropped the grapes and held up his camera to take a few photos. Then a shadow loomed on the wall. Colin turned around, still holding his camera. Abruptly, he went rigid and fell over.

Nico woke, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. There was no doubt in his mind that the Heir had just struck again.


	19. Nico Starts Tripping

Over the next few days, word spread around the school that Colin Creevey had been Petrified the night after the Quidditch match. Students began a roaring black market trade in talismans, amulets and other protective devices. Rumors abounded about who might be responsible; Harry was one of the favorite suspects, even though he wasn't a Slytherin.

On Tuesday, Hermione had a sudden idea and went to check something in the library. A few minutes later, she brought a book over to Nico. "Look," she said, pointing to something on the page.

"Can't you just tell me?" Nico complained, staring at the dancing letters.

"Professor Horace Slughorn was the Potions Master before Snape. He hasn't taught at Hogwarts since we were born—well, since _I_ was born. He started about when _you_ were born."

Nico frowned. "What are you saying?"

"Think about it, Nico—you haven't seen this 'Tom' or this 'Professor Slughorn' anywhere around the school. Is it possible you were dreaming about something that happened in the past?"

"I _have_ heard of that happening to other demigods," Nico said thoughtfully. "But that would mean the Chamber of Secrets has been opened before…"

"And that someone else is doing it this time," Hermione finished.

"Not necessarily. I'm positive I know Tom from somewhere. Are any of the current teachers named Tom?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, I checked for that too."

Nico sighed. "But why else would he be familiar?"

"I don't know," Hermione replied, equally baffled.

* * *

The last Thursday of the term, Luna approached Nico on the way to breakfast. "So, ghost buddy, what are you doing for Christmas?"

"Going to visit my sister in California," Nico answered. Professor McGonagall had been reluctant to let him leave, but he'd convinced her it was safer than staying at Hogwarts just now. "What about you?"

"Spending the holiday with my father," Luna replied. "I thought your sister was dead?"

"Bianca is dead. I also have a half-sister who is…well, no longer dead…" Nico trailed off. "Have I ever mentioned that my family is very complicated?"

"Once or twice." They had reached the entrance hall, and Luna now stood on tiptoes, trying to see over the crowd around the notice board. "What's everyone looking at?"

"Don't know. Ask someone who isn't dyslexic."

Inside the Great Hall, Hermione was already seated at the Gryffindor table. "So, you going?" she asked.

Nico helped himself to a blueberry muffin. "Going to what?"

"The Dueling Club tonight."

Nico thought about it. "Nah. I know how to fight, and I'd just as soon not practice around mortals."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "That kind of fighting is all well and good in your world, but don't you think it might be useful to learn _wizard_ dueling?"

"All right, all right," Nico relented. "I'll be there."

* * *

At eight o'clock that night, Nico and Hermione returned to the Great Hall. The house tables had vanished and a golden stage had been erected along one wall. Most of the school had come to the club, all carrying wands and looking excited.

"I wonder who'll be teaching us?" Hermione mused as they edged their way through the chattering crowd. "Someone told me Flitwick was a dueling champion when he was young—maybe it'll be him."

"Could be. I just hope it's not…" Nico trailed off as Lockhart mounted the stage, followed by Snape. "Oh no. I see too much of Lockhart in class already."

"There's no such thing as seeing too much of Lockhart," Hermione retorted, then turned bright red as she realized what she'd just said.

Lockhart waved an arm for silence and called them all to attention. He boastfully explained how Dumbledore had given him permission to create the club, and he rather condescendingly introduced Snape as his assistant. Snape curled his lip, clearly displeased by Lockhart's attitude.

Snape and Lockhart turned to face each other; Lockhart bowed with a flourish while Snape stiffly inclined his head. Then they raised their wands and held them like swords.

"As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart stated. "On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course. One, two, _three_!"

" _Expelliarmus!_ " Snape shouted. A jet of scarlet light shot out of his wand and blasted Lockhart off his feet. He flew backwards off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid to the floor.

"Do you think he's all right?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"He's not dead or dying," Nico stated, slightly disappointed.

Lockhart unsteadily climbed back onto the stage, explaining how Snape had just cast a Disarming Charm. He rather condescendingly claimed he had let Snape do it, but one look at Snape's murderous expression was enough to make him change the subject. "Enough demonstrating! I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd like to help me…"

"Put us in pairs?" Nico repeated worriedly. "He wants _us_ to practice?"

"Well how else are we going to learn the spells?" Hermione pointed out.

"I've never cast spells on _people_ before…" Nico fretted.

"Di Angelo, you can partner Granger," Snape said, walking past them. He moved on to partner Ron with Crabbe and Harry with Malfoy.

"I can't do this," Nico muttered. "You _know_ what happens when my spells go wrong."

"Have a little more faith in yourself," Hermione encouraged.

"Face your partners!" Lockhart called, back on the stage. "And bow!"

Nico bowed stiffly, trying not to picture anything horrible happening to Hermione.

"Wands at the ready!" Lockhart continued. "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents— _only_ to disarm them. We don't want any accidents. One, two, three!"

The room erupted into pandemonium. Hermione successfully disarmed Nico, but she was one of the few who had pulled it off. Some pairs didn't even appear to have tried the correct spell; Harry and Malfoy were firing jinxes at each other and Crabbe had Ron in a headlock.

"Nico, you didn't even try," Hermione scolded, handing him back his wand.

"I don't want to hurt you!" Nico protested.

"How do you expect to overcome your problems if you won't face them?"

"I've faced the Titan Lord," Nico retorted. "And I pretty much flipped him off."

"Good," Hermione said tartly. "Then you can face performing one simple spell."

Meanwhile, Lockhart and Snape had finally managed to restore order. "I think I'd better teach you how to _block_ unfriendly spells," Lockhart said, slightly flustered. "Let's have a volunteer pair—Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you?"

"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," Snape interjected. "Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox. How about Malfoy and Potter?"

"Excellent idea!" Lockhart agreed, motioning for Harry and Malfoy to come into the center of the room. Once they had done so, Snape moved to murmur in Malfoy's ear while Lockhart showed something to Harry. Then the teachers stepped away.

"Three, two, one, go!" Lockhart called.

" _Serpensortia!_ " Malfoy shouted, raising his wand. A long, black snake shot out the end and landed heavily on the floor. Several people screamed and backed away. The snake looked at Harry and raised its head, ready to strike. Harry stared through wide eyes, clearly afraid.

"Don't move, Potter," Snape said lazily, obviously enjoying Harry's plight. "I'll get rid of it."

"Allow me!" Lockhart interrupted. He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang; instead of vanishing, the snake flew several meters into the air and then landed with a loud thud.

Hissing angrily, the snake slithered toward the watching students. Harry moved toward it. The snake locked its eyes on Justin Finch-Fletchley and raised its head, poised to strike. Then, incredibly, Harry made a snake-like hissing noise at the creature.

Whispering broke out all over the room. Justin's terrified gaze moved from the snake to Harry. The snake dropped to the ground and Harry grinned at Justin.

"What do you think you're playing at?" Justin shouted, his voice a mixture of anger and fear. He turned and stormed out of the hall.

Harry looked utterly baffled by Justin's reaction. Snape waved his wand and made the snake disappear, though his gaze did not leave Harry. Ron stepped forward, grabbed the back of Harry's robes and steered Harry out of the room. The crowd drew back as they passed.

"What just happened?" Nico asked Hermione, confused.

"Harry just spoke Parseltongue," Hermione replied, frowning. "Snake language. Not a very common gift…and one for which Salazar Slytherin was renowned."

"This isn't going to help the rumors that he's the Heir of Slytherin," Nico surmised.

Hermione turned to Nico, looking incredibly nervous. "What if he _is_? _Someone_ must be responsible for the recent attacks, and it can't be that 'Tom' from your dreams. Salazar Slytherin lived a thousand years ago…there's no telling who might be descended from him now."

"Didn't you see the look on Harry's face?" Nico countered. "Whatever he said to that snake, I don't think he was telling it to attack. And it _did_ back off."

"I hope you're right," Hermione said worriedly.

"Come on, even if he _is_ related to Slytherin, that doesn't mean he wants to follow in Slytherin's footsteps. He got sorted into _Gryffindor_ , after all. And besides, I still think Tom is connected to the current attacks somehow. Demigod dreams always happen for a reason."

* * *

The next morning, a blizzard raged outside the castle. Herbology class was canceled so that Professor Sprout could tend to the Mandrakes; since they were the only potential cure for Colin and Mrs. Norris, it was imperative that none of them be lost to frostbite.

Nico and Hermione went to their usual spot in the library. A group of Hufflepuffs soon followed them and sat in a huddle near the Invisibility section, their heads close together as they held a quiet conversation. Nico skimmed the Ancient Greek copy of _Hogwarts, A History_ , hoping to find some further clue to the past opening of the Chamber.

Then an anxious voice sounded from somewhere near his elbow. "Nico?"

Nico nearly jumped out of his skin. Annabeth's face was shimmering in midair, the darkened Poseidon cabin visible behind her. She looked upset about something.

"Not a good time!" Nico hissed, glancing at the Hufflepuffs. "I'll message you in a few minutes." He quickly swiped his hand through the image.

"Was that an Iris-Message?" Hermione asked, interested.

"Yeah. That was Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. And…um…Percy's girlfriend." Nico quickly packed his bag, not meeting Hermione's eyes. "Must be something serious, judging by the look on her face. I've got to go."

* * *

Nico left the library and hurried to Myrtle's bathroom. When he got close, he sensed Harry in a nearby corridor, moving away from him. He wondered what Harry was doing here, but he had more important matters to attend to.

He rounded the corner into the corridor by Myrtle's place. Just as he put his hand on the doorknob of her bathroom, he heard a voice behind him. " _What_ are you doing?"

Nico jumped and whirled around to see Harry staring at him. How had Harry gotten all the way over there? "I really don't have time to explain myself to you," Nico snapped. "Suffice it to say that the only girl in here doesn't mind me using the place."

"Right," Harry said disbelievingly. "You just happen to like using the _girls'_ bathroom right by the scene of the crime."

Nico glanced at the Heir's ominous message, still gleaming on the wall. He'd honestly forgotten it was there. "I've been using the place since last year. If you don't believe me, ask Myrtle. But some other time, because I have things to do right now which are absolutely none of your business." He entered the bathroom and slammed the door.

Myrtle floated out of her stall. "Back again already?"

Nico shot her a look of confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Weren't you in here just a few minutes ago?"

"No…definitely not."

"Oh…okay." Myrtle went back to her toilet.

Nico turned on a sink and tossed a drachma into the spray. "O Iris, accept my offering. Show me Annabeth Chase."

Annabeth's face swam into view again. "Nico! Thank the gods. Have you seen or heard from Percy at all?"

"No, sorry. You do know I go to a school in Scotland, right?" Nico paused. "Wait a minute, isn't it the middle of the night over there?"

"I can't sleep," Annabeth admitted. "Percy vanished on Tuesday night and we've found no trace of him since then. I was hoping…well, we've looked everywhere. You…you'd know if he was dead, wouldn't you?"

Nico went silent for a moment, concentrating on Percy. "He's definitely not dead. I can tell you that much."

Annabeth heaved a sigh of relief. "I just don't understand where he could _be_ …" She took a deep, shuddering breath. "Are you coming back to America for Christmas break?"

"Yes. If he hasn't turned up by then, I'll help you look."

"Thanks," Annabeth said sadly. She swiped a hand through the image and severed the connection.

Nico leaned against a nearby stall and rubbed his forehead. Myrtle drifted out and gave him a curious look. "Percy. Isn't that the guy you kept talking to last year?"

"Yeah," Nico confirmed, hoping Myrtle couldn't see the faint pink rising in his cheeks.

Myrtle patted Nico's shoulder. "I hope you find him."

"Before someone or some _thing_ less friendly does," Nico added. He forced himself to move away from the stall and leave the room.

* * *

Nico headed back toward the library, lost in thought. First Jason, now Percy…both camp leaders who had vanished without a trace, but who were definitely not dead. Was it possible that the two incidents were connected?

Nico was jolted out of his thoughts when he heard Peeves shout somewhere nearby. "ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATTAAAACK!"

Nico hurried toward the sound. A small crowd had gathered in the corridor by the Transfiguration classroom. Nico moved closer and tripped over something floating near his feet. It was Nearly Headless Nick, now black and smoky and completely immobile.

Professor McGonagall set off a loud bang with her wand and ordered her students back into the classroom. As they moved out of the way, Nico saw Justin Finch-Fletchley lying on the ground, obviously Petrified. Harry was leaning against a nearby wall, white-faced.

No sooner had Professor McGonagall's students returned to their classroom than Ernie Macmillan arrived, panting. He dramatically pointed a finger at Harry. " _Caught in the act!_ "

"That will do, Macmillan!" Professor McGonagall said sharply.

Peeves broke into song, gleefully accusing Harry of killing off students. "Shut up and go away!" Nico snapped. Peeves zoomed backwards, sticking his tongue out at Harry.

"Thank you, Mr. di Angelo," Professor McGonagall said, sounding harried. She conjured a floating stretcher and lifted Justin onto it. "Mr. Macmillan, please take your classmate to the hospital wing. As for Sir Nicholas…" She trailed off, contemplating the blackened ghost.

"Nico can take him," Harry said, nodding at Nico.

Nico stiffened, but Professor McGonagall spoke first. "Mr. Potter, what on earth are you talking about?"

"He can touch ghosts," Harry revealed. "And don't try to deny it—I saw you trip over Nick when you got here."

Nico opened his mouth, a denial springing to his lips, then he thought better of it. He'd been seen twice now; denying it would only make it seem like he was hiding something (which he was, but that was beside the point).

"All right, fine!" He crouched and hefted Sir Nicholas over his shoulder—thankfully, the ghost was very light. "Yes, I can touch ghosts. A family gift I inherited from my father. I don't like to talk about it because a lot of people seem to think it's dark magic—which it's _not_ , thank you very much. There's nothing evil about being able to physically touch the spectral form of a departed soul!"

Both Professor McGonagall and Ernie gaped at him. Professor McGonagall was the first to recover her voice. "Right, well…off to the hospital wing, both of you."

Nico stormed off in the direction of the hospital wing. Ernie followed, pulling the stretcher along. "So…not only do ghosts bow and scrape to you, you can touch them. The di Angelos must have a _very_ interesting family history."

"Di Angelo is my mother's surname," Nico said quietly. "And yes, my father's side of the family _does_ have a very interesting history…one you're better off staying far away from."

Ernie gave him a wary look. " _You're_ not related to Salazar Slytherin, are you?"

"Not to my knowledge. Besides, my best friend is Muggle-born. I would never hurt Hermione, not in a million years."

Ernie scrutinized him, then nodded. "I believe you." They walked the rest of the way in silence.

Much to Nico's relief, they reached the hospital wing without encountering anyone. Madam Pomfrey gave him a _very_ strange look when he unloaded Sir Nicholas onto a bed, but she turned her attention to Justin and chose not to comment.

Nico surreptitiously examined Sir Nicholas, frowning. This was no illusion; it definitely _was_ Sir Nicholas. And despite Nico's best efforts, he couldn't seem to will Sir Nicholas back to consciousness. What could possibly Petrify a ghost?

And what would it take to kill such a creature?

* * *

 **A/N: I considered having Nico partner Harry for the dueling club, but conjuring live animals is exactly the sort of spell Nico would fail miserably at.**


	20. Everybody's Up in Nico's Business

Unsurprisingly, the attack on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick whipped the school into even more of a frenzy. By this point, Nico and the Weasleys seemed to be the only students who believed Harry was innocent. Most students avoided Harry like he was diseased, though Fred and George treated the whole thing like a joke.

After dinner that night, Nico and Hermione returned to Gryffindor Tower to pack. Fred, George, Leo and Ginny all sat by the fire; the former three were doing their best to make Ginny smile. Unfortunately, she seemed far too shaken by the morning's attack.

"You should have gone with Mum and Dad to Egypt, Leo," Ginny was saying. "At least you'd be safe there."

"Nah, don't worry," Leo said confidently. "If the Heir tries to send his pet monster after me, I'll send my salamander after him."

"I think the monster of Slytherin is a bit more powerful than a salamander," Ginny fretted.

"You know, maybe Ginny's got a point," Hermione chimed in. "I think you're the only Muggle-born staying at Hogwarts over Christmas, that makes you a prime target."

"We won't let anything happen to him," George promised.

"We'll keep him surrounded by pure-bloods," Fred added.

"We'll duel any monster that comes after him," George continued.

"And if all else fails, we'll try it your way and hit it with a book," Fred finished, grabbing a book out of the nearest bag—Nico's. Fred frowned when he noticed he had grabbed the Ancient Greek copy of _Hogwarts, A History_. "I thought you were Italian. What language is this?"

"It's—" Nico began, but Leo interrupted.

"Wait. I can _read_ that. Why can I read that?"

Nico and Hermione shared a wide-eyed look. "You can read that?" Nico said cautiously. "What does it say?"

" _Χόγκουαρτς,_ _μια ιστορία,_ " Leo read. "I mean, _Hogwarts, A History_. Weird, I thought I only spoke English and Spanish, and I can barely read those…"

Nico rubbed his forehead. "Leo, can I talk to you in private? _Now?_ "

"Uh…sure," Leo agreed, sounding confused. He followed Nico over to a corner of the room, carrying the book.

"Leo, was one of your parents absent throughout your childhood?" Nico asked quietly.

Leo looked slightly affronted. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"Leo, this is very important, your life could depend on it. Did you know both your parents back in America?"

"No. My father left my mother before I was born. She always said I'd meet him someday, but I never did."

"You may yet," Nico said grimly. "I don't think you're a Muggle-born. I think you're like me—a half-blood."

"You think my father was a wizard?" Leo asked curiously.

"No. This may sound hard to believe, but Greek gods are real. They often fall in love with mortals and have kids with them—kids like us. One of the quickest ways to identify a demigod is that we typically have dyslexia and ADHD; our brains are hardwired for Ancient Greek and we're born with battle reflexes."

Leo looked amazed and slightly shaken. "I have ADHD too. Wait, _you're_ a demigod?"

Nico sighed. "I would very much appreciate if you don't go telling people this, but my father is Hades, Lord of the Dead. And between your fire immunity and your way with technology, I'm going to guess that you're a son of Hephaestus."

"Festus?" Leo repeated in disbelief. "What is he, the god of cowboys?"

" _He_ -phaestus. God of the forge."

Leo's eyes widened. "God of the forge…that explains it."

"Explains what?"

"You know Hermione's enchanted mirror?" Leo asked, staring into the distance. "I looked into it once, and I saw this weird room behind me…I think it was a forge."

"That settles it," Nico decided. "I think you'd better come with me for the Christmas holidays. You _need_ proper demigod training; we're monster magnets. It's incredibly rare for us to get past age twelve or so without being attacked. Hogwarts seems to be sufficiently shielded to keep the monsters away, but I'm amazed you've made it to fourteen without anything attacking you at the Weasleys'."

"Actually, I turned fifteen in October," Leo corrected. "And…there may have been this weird creature that I ran over with the car last summer. And the year before that, this bull thing that I caught in a net…"

Nico grimaced. "All the more important that you come with me, then. You wouldn't want anything to happen to the Weasleys, would you?"

"Of course not," Leo replied, sounding shaken. "I'll pack my trunk."

"What are you guys talking about?" Ron asked from behind them, sounding suspicious.

"I'm not staying at Hogwarts for Christmas after all," Leo said, still shaken. "It's…a long story that I don't fully understand yet." He hurried up the stairs to the dormitories.

Ron turned to Nico. "Are you _threatening_ him?"

"No, I'm trying to help him," Nico snapped. He followed Leo toward the dormitories.

Ron stood in his way. "Quit messing around. What the hell did you say to Leo?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Nico tried to step around Ron, but Ron blocked him again. Nico glared at him. "Ask all you like, my answer's not going to change. Get out of my way!"

Nico pushed Ron aside and climbed the spiral staircase to his dormitory. When he reached the top of the stairs, he heard angry hissing coming from inside the room. Opening the door, he saw Harry going through his trunk while Vescia was wrapped tightly in Ron's blanket. "What in Tartarus do you think you're doing?!" Nico demanded angrily.

Harry jerked in surprise, then glared at Nico. "Looking for evidence. I know _I_ didn't attack Justin, and you sure were acting shifty this morning!"

"Get out of my stuff!" Nico snapped, walking over to his trunk.

Harry gestured to the photo of the di Angelos from the Washington Post, which Nico had taped to the inside of his trunk. The date was visible in the upper right-hand corner. "Nice photo. Just how old _are_ you?"

"Twelve, going on thirteen," Nico said stiffly, closing the trunk. "That's my grandfather."

"Uh-huh," Harry said disbelievingly. "And what's with the lemon bars that are burning hot to the touch but haven't set your trunk on fire?"

"Those aren't meant for—for humans!" Nico retorted. Then he winced. He'd stopped himself from saying 'mortals', but now he'd made it sound like his ambrosia stash was monster food.

"Not for humans," Harry repeated, a vicious glint in his eye. "I see. You know, I bet I can find your sword somewhere too."

Nico clenched a fist, then made a decision. "No, you won't." He shifted his hand so that his ring was hidden underneath his sleeve, then summoned the sword. "I don't leave deadly weapons lying around." He transformed the sword back into the ring. "Now get _out of my stuff_. And don't mess with my cat again!"

Nico freed Vescia from Ron's blanket and brought her over to his own bed. He glared at Harry until the latter left the room, then he began packing up his trunk.

* * *

Down in the common room, Harry emerged from the spiral staircase and whispered urgently to Ron. Then both boys walked over to Hermione.

"Hermione, do you know what Nico was doing during first period this morning?" Ron asked.

Hermione sighed. "I know where you're going with this, and no, Nico did not attack Justin or Nick."

"How can you be sure?" Harry demanded. "I know you weren't with him the whole time."

"He had to go deal with another family crisis," Hermione said stiffly.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Funny, I didn't know family crises involved going into girls' bathrooms."

"Hermione, be honest with yourself," Ron added. "The night Mrs. Norris was attacked, there were a few minutes when he left you all alone at the deathday party. The morning before Colin was attacked, Nico snapped at him. And then this morning, Nico made some excuse to go off on his own. Oh, and don't forget that he didn't bother writing you at all this summer! Face it—he's just using you to throw suspicion off himself. You'd be better off staying away from him."

Hermione glared angrily at the two boys. "Nico didn't write this summer because he was a bit busy trying to stay alive. He left the deathday party because he was trying to cheer up Moaning Myrtle. He snapped at Colin because that's what he does—he gets short with just about everyone, and usually they don't turn up Petrified! And as for this morning, excuse me if I'm a bit more inclined to believe _his_ version of events rather than yours! I trust Nico with my life, which is more than I can say for either of _you_. Leave him alone and go look for the _real_ Heir of Slytherin!"

Hermione turned on her heel and marched up to the girls' dormitories, not giving either Harry or Ron a chance to respond. Honestly, the _nerve_ of some people.

* * *

Nico poked his head into the fourth year dormitory. "Leo, you about ready?"

"What, are we going _now_?" Leo asked in surprise. "I thought the train didn't leave until morning."

"We're not taking the train. I've got a much faster means of transportation, but let's get out of Gryffindor Tower first. Don't want to raise _too_ many questions."

"Okay, I'll be down in a few minutes."

* * *

Nico said good-bye to Hermione and then went to wait in an alcove near the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. He gripped his trunk in one hand while Vescia clung to his shoulder. Leo soon joined him, still looking slightly stunned by the night's revelation.

"What did you tell Fred and George?" Nico asked curiously.

"Just that you figured out I'm some long-lost relative," Leo answered. "God, if I told them the truth they'd probably think it was some big joke…"

"I didn't tell Hermione either," Nico admitted. "She found out when she met my father, and she says she probably wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen him with her own eyes."

Leo swallowed. "So…how are we getting to…wherever we're going?"

Nico offered the arm that wasn't holding his trunk. "Hold on. And don't let go of your trunk."

Leo hesitantly took Nico's arm. Nico melted into the shadows, taking Leo with him. They rematerialized at the edge of the woods in Camp Half-Blood. Nico staggered; he would have fallen if Leo hadn't caught him. He quickly pulled away and leaned against a nearby tree instead.

"You okay?" Leo asked worriedly.

"Fine," Nico muttered. "Shadow-traveling drains me, that's all."

Here in Long Island, it was still afternoon. Sunlight reflected off the lake. While Nico caught his breath, a chariot fell out of the sky and into the lake, along with two pegasi and four demigods. A number of other demigods hurried over to help them.

"Uh…that happen often around here?" Leo asked.

"I first came to this place on a flying bus that crashed into the lake," Nico said drowsily, stumbling toward the crowd. Then he got a good look at the new arrivals, and he saw a familiar face—one he had never expected to see at Camp Half-Blood. "Jason? Oh that's not good…"

And he fainted.

* * *

He came to in the camp infirmary. A blond-haired, blue-eyed figure was hovering over him. "Jason?"

"Try again," the figure replied. "Will Solace here. Though any information you can give us about Jason would be extremely helpful."

Nico blinked and Will's face swam into focus. "Why don't you just talk to Jason?" Nico suggested.

"Two reasons: one, he left on a quest to rescue Hera two days ago, and two, he's got amnesia. Doesn't even know his own last name. Nobody at camp has ever seen or heard of him before…except you, according to Leo."

"I had a dream about him, that's all," Nico lied. "Something about him in a flying chariot. Wait…did you say I've been in here for _two days_?"

"Three, actually. Jason, Piper and Leo didn't leave on their quest until the morning after you got here." Will folded his arms. "You know, you could have just sent us an Iris-Message asking for transportation. There was no need to nearly kill yourself by shadow-traveling two people across the Atlantic."

"Much faster, though," Nico retorted. "And I _didn't_ kill myself." He tried to sit up, but suddenly he felt very dizzy and Will shoved him back against the cot.

"I'm a healer," Will said sternly. "I can sense the darkness in you every time I touch you. You're staying in the infirmary for at least another day, and you're not shadow-traveling for at least a week."

"But I have to go to—somewhere!" Nico protested, thinking of Hazel.

"Too bad," Will replied, unmoved. "The queen of the heavens has been kidnapped, the next Great Prophecy is starting, and you've got a letter."

"What?" Nico said, surprised.

Will walked over to a nearby table and grabbed a letter addressed to Nico in Hermione's handwriting. "Delivered by an owl this morning. The Athena kids adopted it as their mascot. Also, nice cat; please tell me you're not the one that hurt her like that."

For the first time, Nico noticed that Vescia was curled up on the blankets by his feet. "I wasn't. My sister and I once found this awful British kid torturing an entire litter. We animated the kittens and made them chase the kid out of the cave. Hopefully it taught him a lesson."

Will scowled. "People like that deserve the Fields of Punishment."

Nico grimaced. "I'm not sure you realize just how horrible the Fields are. For that kid's sake, let's hope he's turned his life around in the past seventy years."

Will did a double take. "The past…right. Lotus Hotel. I heard about that."

Nico once again tried to sit up, but fell back before Will even had the chance to intervene. He sighed. "Well, as long as I'm stuck here…how about you fill me in on what's been going on at camp?"

* * *

The next day, Nico was permitted to move to the Hades cabin, though Will was reluctant to take his eyes off him. He seemed convinced that Nico would shadow-travel into oblivion if left to his own devices. Will was even more annoyingly watchful than Harry…and yet, at the same time, Nico didn't mind it so much. Probably because Will was paying attention out of concern instead of suspicion.

At dinner that night, Jason, Piper and Leo appeared out of nowhere on top of the Aphrodite table. They told the story of their quest and answered numerous questions from the other campers. Eventually, Nico decided he'd learned enough to satisfy his curiosity and he used the distraction to sneak away into the woods.

Apparently he wasn't as sneaky as he thought, because Will followed him. "And where do you think you're going?"

"Looking for a screech owl," Nico answered. "Since Cabin Six won't give back the one Hermione sent."

"Weird way to send letters," Will said. "What happened to post offices?"

"I think wizard post offices are basically owleries."

Will frowned, then shrugged. "Wizards sound weird."

Nico snorted. "You know what? My life has been a whole series of weird, even by demigod standards. Wizards? Sure, why not?"

"Fair point," Will conceded. "So, this Hermione…you and she sound close."

"Pretty close, yeah," Nico agreed.

"Friends, or…more?" Will asked somewhat hesitantly.

"Just friends."

Will looked oddly relieved. "Oh, good."

"Why is that good?" Nico asked, confused.

"No reason," Will said hurriedly. "Couldn't you just Iris-message her? Or does she not know about the gods?"

Nico shook his head. "She knows, I actually Iris-messaged her earlier today. I need to send a letter to someone who _doesn't_ know about the Greek gods." He'd told Hazel he'd be coming directly from Hogwarts to Camp Jupiter, and she must be worried out of her mind after he'd failed to arrive.

"And thus the epic quest for a screech owl," Will concluded. "What's wizard school like?"

Nico huffed and rolled his eyes. "Why are you asking me all these questions?"

Will raised an eyebrow. "Is it a crime to want to get to know you?"

Nico spotted a screech owl and clucked to it. It flew out of its tree and landed on his arm. Nico tied the letter to its leg as he continued speaking. "I think you've asked me more personal questions in the last two days than most of my classmates have in the year and a half that I've been going to Hogwarts."

"Gee, I wonder why that could be," Will said sarcastically. "Certainly can't be because of your bright, sunny disposition."

"You're one to talk, son of the sun god," Nico retorted. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"So should you." Will grabbed Nico's hand, sending an electric current down Nico's spine. "You've sent your letter, now you're coming back to camp to rest. End of discussion."

Will dragged Nico back to camp. Nico tried to free his hand, but Will was stronger than he looked. And warm, too. Will's hand was pleasantly warm in the chilly winter air. Nico decided he could tolerate the hand-holding—because of the cold.

* * *

A week later, Will finally gave Nico permission to shadow-travel. Nico intended to spend the rest of the winter holiday at Camp Jupiter with Hazel, but there was one thing he had to do first.

"Hey, Leo," Nico called, walking into Bunker Nine.

Leo crawled out from underneath the engine he was building. "Hey, Death Breath."

"Don't call me that," Nico snapped.

"Fine, zombie dude."

Nico gave up and went straight to the point. "Building this ship…it's going to take you a long time. You'd have to work through the rest of the school year if you're going to finish by the summer solstice."

"Yeah, I know," Leo agreed. "Hogwarts is pretty cool, but saving the world has to come first. Besides, this place has _much_ cooler toys. I'm seriously tempted to just stay here forever."

Nico nodded. "So, in other words, I won't be taking you back to Hogwarts when the holidays are over."

Leo shook his head. "Nope. Already sent an owl to McGonagall telling her I won't be back. Do me one favor, though. Find the Heir of Slytherin and kick his ass for me."

Nico's lips twitched in what was almost a smile. "Got it. Good luck. See you this summer, probably."

Leo returned his attention to the engine. "See you."

* * *

 **A/N: So, after writing this, I discovered that Riordan said Leo's birthday is in July...but that would put him in the year above Fred and George, so I'll just stick with my version.**

 **And someday I may write out Leo's alternate introduction to CHB, but for now I'm focusing on Nico's story.**


	21. Nico Gets a Valentine

The first morning after the holidays, Nico was accosted by Harry and Ron at breakfast. "Where's Leo?" Ron demanded.

"New York," Nico said irritably, not looking up from his toast.

"Why didn't he come back with you?" Ron pressed.

Nico huffed in annoyance. "It was _his_ idea not to come back, and to my knowledge he is alive and well. I _could_ tell you exactly why he decided to stay behind, but you're not going to believe me no matter what I say, so I think I'll save my breath."

Ron opened his mouth, thought about it for a moment, then closed it again. "You know what, you're right. I don't believe you." He and Harry walked away.

Fred and George scooted closer. " _We'll_ listen. Where the hell is Leo?"

Nico sighed. "Long story short, he's working on a massive project that will hopefully save the world. And give him the chance to avenge his mother."

"Something to do with Dirt Woman?" Fred asked.

"Oh, he's told you about that, has he? Yes, Dirt Woman is causing problems. Very big problems."

"Anything we can do to help?" George offered.

Nico shook his head. "No, but thanks. Dirt Woman kind of has a personal grudge against our family."

"Good luck. Hope Leo kicks her arse." The twins returned to their own conversation.

* * *

Several weeks later, Hermione pulled a wrapped package out of her bag during dinner and handed it to Nico. "Happy birthday."

Nico stared at Hermione. "How did you know? I've never told _anyone_ my birthday, not even Hazel."

"It was at the end of that article," Hermione explained. "Dates of birth and death for you, your mother and your sister."

"Dates of _death_?" Neville asked, overhearing. "Why would you have a date of death?"

Nico jumped, then sighed. "You remember I told you my dad erased my sister's and my memories after our uncle tried to kill us? The murder attempt involved blowing up our hotel and killing everyone inside. Since no one could find Bianca and me afterwards, the authorities assumed we'd been killed in the blast."

Neville frowned. "He killed _everyone inside?_ Your uncle sounds like a horrible person."

Nico glanced upwards. "Better not to discuss it. I've got nothing good to say about him."

Neville dropped the subject. "Well, happy birthday, anyway."

"Go on, open your present," Hermione encouraged.

Nico pulled open the wrappings to reveal…a book, not in Greek. "Hermione, you do know I'm dyslexic and don't generally read for fun?"

"I know," Hermione assured. "I didn't give it to you for reading. Open it."

Nico opened the book. It was full of pictures of Venice throughout the ages, from Renaissance paintings to recent photographs.

"I thought you might be interested to see how it's changed since you left," Hermione explained.

Neville shifted for a better look at the book. " _Venice, a Reflection of the Years_ …so, you're from Venice?"

"Yes."

Neville furrowed his brow. "I thought you only left Italy a few years ago. How much could it have changed?"

Nico closed the book and stuffed it into his bag. "I'll find out."

Hermione's face suddenly lit up. "Wait a minute. _Reflection._ Why didn't I think of that before?"

"Think of what?" Nico asked.

"My mirror. Maybe we can use it to find some clues!" Hermione stood up, looking excited.

"You want to come?" Nico offered to Neville.

Neville swallowed nervously. "I'm good, thanks."

* * *

Hermione led Nico out of the Great Hall and up the marble staircase. "So, where are we starting?" Nico asked.

"The hospital wing," Hermione answered. "I want to get a look at the victims. Keep an eye out for Madam Pomfrey, will you?"

"Sure," Nico agreed.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the hospital wing. Once Nico confirmed that the coast was clear, Hermione snuck inside and approached the nearest victim—Justin. She examined him with her mirror and found that his eyes faintly reflected the image of a yellow, slit-pupiled eye. The very sight of it made her feel strangely feverish and ill. She quickly looked away, deciding it might not be good for her health to check the other victims' eyes.

Outside the hospital wing, Hermione related her finding to Nico. "Makes sense," he said thoughtfully. "People turned to stone when they saw Medusa. But we know she's not the monster, and that eye could belong to any number of beasts."

"Let's check out the Heir's message next," Hermione decided, leading Nico away.

* * *

The ominous message was less helpful. According to the mirror, it was exactly what it looked like—tall, blood-red words written on a wall.

"You know, maybe the entrance is somewhere nearby," Nico suggested. "Keep looking around?"

Hermione spent several minutes examining the entire corridor. "Nothing here," she eventually concluded. "Maybe in Myrtle's bathroom?"

"Oh come on, who would hide a secret monster lair in a _bathroom_?" Nico scoffed. "And wouldn't Myrtle notice?"

"Not to insult her, but I get the impression she spends most of her time hiding in her toilet and crying. Come on."

Nico reluctantly followed Hermione into the bathroom. "Myrtle?" he called.

Myrtle drifted out of her stall. "Oh, you brought a friend."

"Yes." Nico paused when he sensed Harry entering the corridor outside, but he decided to ignore it. "You haven't seen anything suspicious in here, have you?"

"Do girls coming in and insulting me count?"

"That's rather rude of them, but I don't think it qualifies as suspicious." Nico turned to Hermione. "See?"

"I'm still going to look around," Hermione decided. She pulled out her mirror and began looking at the stalls. Myrtle returned to her toilet.

On the other side of the wall, Harry came closer. Then the doorknob rattled. Nico quickly grabbed Hermione and melted into the shadows of the nearest stall right as the door opened.

* * *

They reappeared in a nearby empty classroom. Nico sagged against a nearby wall, exhausted from the strain of bringing Hermione with him. Hermione staggered and collapsed into the nearest chair, shivering.

"That…was terrifying," she said weakly. "Please don't do that again."

"Sorry," Nico apologized. "I won't…unless it's a matter of life and death, anyway."

"Fine," Hermione conceded. "Was that…was that the Underworld we passed through?"

"No, that was…actually, I don't know what that was. Some shadow dimension, maybe. I've never really thought about it."

Once they had caught their breath, they left the classroom. Ginny rounded a corner and approached them, looking unusually cheerful. "Hello! Wonderful evening, isn't it?"

"Uh…yes, I suppose," Hermione agreed, confused. "What's put you in such a good mood?"

"Oh, I just did something I should have done a long time ago, that's all." Ginny turned to Nico. "Oh, and happy birthday!" She tried to hug him, but he quickly backed away.

"I'm fine, thanks. And how did you know?"

Ginny shrugged. "Neville."

Nico sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Great. Does the whole school know now?"

Ginny shook her head. "I don't think so. What are you hanging around in an empty corridor for, anyway? It's your birthday, you should be celebrating!"

"I'm not really big on celebrations," Nico said stiffly.

"Oh, come on," Ginny urged. "Let's go to the common room, I bet Fred and George could do something really fun for you!"

She skipped away in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. Nico and Hermione shared a bewildered look, then gave up and followed her. They were too tired to bother investigating further, anyway.

* * *

In the following days, Nico could swear that Harry was giving off a stronger sense of evil than usual. He kept staying up late in order to avoid entering the dormitory he shared with Harry. On the bright side, there had been no further attacks since Justin and Nearly Headless Nick. School morale was improving.

When Nico went to breakfast on February 14th, he found the Great Hall decked out in lurid pink flowers while heart-shaped confetti fell from the ceiling. He sat next to Hermione and brushed confetti off his plate. "Did Aphrodite throw up in here?" he complained.

Hermione shook her head, giggling, and pointed to the teachers' table. Lockhart had just stood up, wearing bright pink robes that matched the flowers. He waved a hand for attention and encouraged them all to get into the Valentine's Day spirit. To that end, he introduced about a dozen surly-looking dwarves dressed as cherubs. Apparently, they would be delivering valentines throughout the day.

"Kill me now," Nico muttered.

"Don't say that, Nico, some Greek monster is going to take you literally," Hermione reproached.

"Don't care. I'd rather be in the Underworld than… _here_."

"Why, scared a girl will flirt with you?" Hermione said teasingly.

Nico edged away from her. "I don't need a girlfriend, thanks."

"Don't worry, I wasn't offering," Hermione assured, still amused. She glanced in Ron's direction, then turned slightly pink and began eating very quickly.

* * *

Throughout the day, dwarves kept barging into class to deliver valentines, much to the teachers' annoyance. Nico became increasingly tempted to summon his sword and cut off the dwarves' heads…or at least destroy their harps. Then, to his horror, a dwarf walked up to _him_ during Potions.

"Valentine for Nico di Angelo," the dwarf said gruffly.

"You must be mistaken," Nico said stiffly, stirring his potion.

"No, my instructions were very clear," the dwarf insisted.

Snape cleared his throat. "Mr. di Angelo, just accept the valentine so that we can get on with the lesson."

Nico reluctantly took the valentine and shoved it into his pocket without looking at it.

"Read it," the dwarf commanded.

" _Fine!_ " Nico pulled the valentine back out. It was a black heart with a red border, decorated with ghosts and skulls. There was a message in dyslexia-friendly white writing.

Hermione looked over his shoulder. "To the ghost who stole my heart, happy Valentine's Day."

Nico shoved the valentine back into his pocket and glared at the dwarf. "Happy now?"

"Good enough." The dwarf walked back out of the classroom, twanging his harp.

Nico rounded on Hermione. "That wasn't funny!"

"What, you think that was from _me_?" Hermione responded, taken aback.

"Who else would it be?" Nico retorted.

"I don't know, but it wasn't me!" Hermione looked around and saw that the entire class was watching them. It was clear that no one believed her, including Professor Snape. "It wasn't, I swear!"

"If we could get back to work now…" Snape commanded, the corners of his mouth twitching in what might have been a smile. The class reluctantly returned their attention to their cauldrons.

"I mean it, Nico, I swear on the Styx!" Hermione hissed.

"Fine," Nico relented, looking even grumpier than usual.

* * *

As soon as Potions ended, Nico pulled away from the group and shadow-traveled to the Underworld, intending to remain there for the rest of the day. The dead might bow and scrape, but they never tried to give him valentines.

* * *

By dinnertime, Nico still had not reappeared. Luna walked up to Hermione at the Gryffindor table. "Where's Nico?"

"I don't know," Hermione replied. "Someone gave him a valentine during Potions, and he's been hiding ever since."

"He's _hiding_?" Luna repeated, sounding hurt.

"Yes, he…oh." Hermione trailed off as she realized what was going on. "Don't take it personally, Valentine's Day really isn't his thing. And he especially hates being the center of attention."

"Oh…okay." Luna looked rather downcast. "I guess I'll see him later, then."

Hermione gave her a small smile. "It was a sweet gesture, just…not the best way to go about it."

Luna nodded. "I understand. I, uh…I'd better go eat."

* * *

After several hours of staring at the River Lethe and wishing that Bianca was still alive, Nico finally decided to risk going back to school. He reappeared on his bed and immediately sensed Harry's presence. His curtains were open, and he almost panicked when he realized Harry might have seen him appear—but then he noticed that the room was empty.

Curious now, Nico cautiously approached Harry's bed. The evil presence was emanating from a vaguely-familiar diary that lay open on the covers. Nico picked it up for a closer look and saw a name written on it—a name that looked suspiciously like "Tom".

Before Nico could decipher the last name, the book opened of its own accord and he dropped it. Harry flew out from the pages and landed spread-eagled on his bed. His eyes were wide, as if he'd just discovered something shocking.

"What in Tartarus is _that_?" Nico demanded, nodding at the book.

Harry started and quickly hid the book under his pillow. "Quite possibly the biggest clue I've found so far, which means I'm not letting _you_ anywhere near it. And what _is_ Tartarus, anyway?"

"A place worse than hell. Pray you never get sucked into its depths."

Nico returned to his own bed, making a mental note to investigate further when Harry wasn't around. That diary looked suspiciously like the one from his dream…and he wasn't entirely convinced that the evil presence was coming solely from Harry.


	22. Nico Has Never Seen Star Wars

Unfortunately for Nico's investigation, Harry seemed to be keeping the diary on his person at all times, even in his sleep. Either that or Nico had been wrong about sensing another soul fragment in the diary. But if he'd been right…was it possible that "Voldemort" was just a pseudonym for a man named Tom?

Hermione suggested a different avenue of investigation. "You caught a glimpse of his last name, even if you didn't have time to riddle it out. Maybe you'll recognize it if you see it again."

And so it was that they began spending their spare time poring through old lists of awards for academic achievement. Hermione looked for anyone named "Tom", then showed the name to Nico to see if the last name was familiar. It only took two days of searching before they found a name that Nico recognized: Tom Riddle.

"Head Boy of the 1944-1945 school year," Hermione read aloud before putting down the list. "I wonder how old You-Know-Who is. He's mentioned in a number of books on modern wizarding history, but none of them say much about his childhood—only that he attended Hogwarts and was sorted into Slytherin House."

"Well, he certainly seems like a good suspect," Nico commented. "Didn't you once say that he was a pure-blood supremacist?"

Hermione grimaced. "Yes, he was."

Nico frowned. "This still doesn't answer the question of how he's opening the Chamber, though. How could a _diary_ do anything, even if I'm right in thinking it contains a soul fragment?"

"How could Harry have been sucked into the diary?" Hermione countered. "Clearly it's got powers of _some_ sort. If only I could read more about soul containers…magic like that is probably kept in the Restricted Section, and that's assuming it even belongs to our world and not yours."

"You know, this explains why I thought Tom looked familiar," Nico realized. "I saw his future self last year. Hasn't aged well, that's for sure."

"Well, we don't all have the luxury of spending several decades in a magic hotel," Hermione said drily.

* * *

Nico continued to periodically search the dormitory, but there was no trace of the diary. Oddly enough, one time he could have sworn he heard scurrying footsteps as he approached. However, when he opened the door, no one was inside.

During the Easter holidays, Nico finally had something else to think about. Starting in third year, students would take electives in addition to their core classes. The time had come to choose those electives.

"This is very important, it could affect our whole future!" Hermione said excitedly.

"At this point, I'm not sure I'm even going to be here for third year," Nico replied, disinterested. "It's looking more and more like there's going to be another war this summer."

"Well then, give yourself something to fight for," Hermione urged. "What career do you want to go into?"

" _Career?_ " Nico repeated in disbelief. "I'm a son of one of the Big Three, Hermione! I'm even _less_ likely to reach adulthood than your average demigod, and that's saying something!"

Hermione frowned at him. "Do you realize how _disturbing_ it is that you can say that so casually?"

Nico shrugged. "Death is my domain. It doesn't frighten me."

"Well, can you at least _try_ acting like you have a future?" Hermione pleaded. "Like Divination, for example—an entire class devoted to telling the future."

Nico shuddered. "No thanks. A prophecy is the reason my mother is dead, I live in the wrong century, and Thalia Grace spent six years as a tree."

Hermione stared, then shook her head. "Just when I think I've heard all the strangest stories you have to offer…"

"Oh, and a prophecy foretold Bianca's death too," Nico added. "' _One shall be lost in the land without rain_ '…I'll avoid Divination, thank you very much. Ancient Runes, on the other hand…that might come in handy."

"I think that class is the reason the Hogwarts library even _has_ an Ancient Greek section," Hermione commented.

"Well, they've got to study more than just Greek, or else they'd call it Ancient Greek," Nico theorized. "These others, though…Arithmancy sounds complicated and boring, Care of Magical Creatures sounds like a great opportunity to get bitten or mauled, and Muggle Studies would be rather pointless for someone raised by Muggles."

"It'd be interesting to study them from a wizarding perspective," Hermione argued.

"You want to study the wizard perspective, just go over to Neville and ask him what a TV or computer is. At least the other classes would teach you something _new_."

Hermione frowned. "Wait, do _you_ even know what those are? Those weren't exactly household objects back in your day."

"The Lotus Hotel constantly added new technology," Nico explained. "And I _did_ spend half a year at a modern Muggle school. On the other hand, my Muggle classmates kept referencing books and movies that I'd missed…Billy Johnson gave me a really weird look when I told him I have no idea who Darth Vader is. All I was ever able to get out of anyone is that he breathes funny and he has a son named Luke."

Hermione laughed. "Don't tell that to my father, he'd have a heart attack. And if he survived, he'd sit you in front of the TV and make you watch all the Star Wars movies in one sitting."

"If I ever have spare time between school and saving the world, maybe I'll try those movies."

Hermione turned serious again. "Right. School. So, clearly you _don't_ want to do Muggle Studies…"

"What are _you_ taking?" Nico asked.

"Well, I was thinking I'd just take everything…"

" _Everything?_ " Nico repeated, gaping at her. "Do you plan to eat or sleep at all?"

"I'm sure I'll find time," Hermione said defensively.

"Hermione, take it from someone who sometimes uses so much energy he ends up comatose for a day or more: that kind of exhaustion is _not_ fun. Do _not_ overwork yourself if you don't have to."

"All right, fine," Hermione relented. "I suppose you're right, I don't _really_ need Muggle Studies…and I've heard that Divination is very imprecise and unreliable, at least among wizards…I think I _do_ want Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and Care of Magical Creatures, though. You decided yet?"

"Well, the minimum number of courses is two, and I'm not an overachiever like you are…definitely want Ancient Runes as one, I just can't decide whether I want Arithmancy or Care of Magical Creatures as the other."

"Care of Magical Creatures would probably have less reading," Hermione suggested. "Besides, maybe you'll discover more magical creatures that don't hate you."

"Or I'll find out how to fight other kinds of monsters," Nico said thoughtfully. "Always good to be prepared. Care of Magical Creatures it is."

* * *

A few nights before the next Quidditch match, Harry marched up to Nico in the library. "Where's Riddle's diary?"

"Oh, so it _was_ Riddle's," Nico said somewhat triumphantly.

"Don't play dumb. You stole it from the locker room while we were practicing!"

"No, I didn't, though I wish I'd thought of that. Ask Madam Pince, I've been here since dinner."

Harry glared at him. "Oh, I will." He walked over to Madam Pince and talked briefly to her, then shot a surprised look in Nico's direction. He slunk out of the library, apparently accepting that Nico truly wasn't the thief.

Hermione shot Nico a worried look. "If you didn't take it…who did? And why?"

"Both very good questions," Nico said grimly.

* * *

The night before the Quidditch match, Nico had a new dream about Tom. He was writing in his diary again—and it was _definitely_ the same one that had been in Harry's possession.

"11th June. My research is complete, the magic prepared. All that remains is to find a victim. Within a day's time, this diary will become my first step down the path of immortality."

Tom smiled, a cruel light in his eyes. He re-inked his quill.

"No more 'lucky escapes'. This time, there _will_ be death, even if I have to physically grind a Mudblood into dust."

* * *

Nico woke up and stared at his curtains. This latest dream all but confirmed his theory about the diary…and yet, he had the strange feeling that the dream had contained some other important detail, something he'd missed.

Vescia poked her nose out from under the covers, then licked his cheek.

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, Hermione tried to offer insight. "It sounds like You-Know-Who had to kill someone to split his soul. Maybe that's the clue?"

Nico shook his head. "We know he's a murderer, that's nothing new. I think it was something about his exact wording…like I'd heard it before…" He sighed in frustration. "I don't _know_."

"Well, you're not going to solve anything by glaring at your plate. Eat up, before you develop the ability to make food rot just by looking at it."

Nico opened his mouth to object, then changed his mind. Somehow, it wouldn't surprise him if he _could_ do that. He hurriedly wolfed down his bacon.

When the pair got up to go to the Quidditch pitch, they found themselves walking right behind Harry and Ron. Halfway across the entrance hall, Harry suddenly froze, and Hermione walked into him.

"The voice!" Harry exclaimed, not seeming to notice Hermione. "I just heard it again—didn't you?"

Ron shook his head, wide-eyed. Suddenly, gears began turning in Hermione's mind. "Harry, you've been hearing voices?" she asked.

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin. "No. No voices. Haven't heard anything." However, it was hard to believe him when his eyes were darting all over the entrance hall.

Hermione turned to Nico. "I think I've just understood something! I've got to go to the library!" With that, she sprinted up the marble staircase.

"Hermione, wait!" Nico called, running after her.

* * *

Nico woke up with a splitting headache. More than that, he ached all over—what had _happened_ to him? Had Cerberus been roughhousing again? No, wait, that couldn't be right—he was at school. Yes, he'd just been going to the library…why was he in bed?

Nico opened his eyes and found that he was lying on a bed in the hospital wing. Outside the windows, dusk had fallen. He tried to sit up, but the pain in his head doubled. "Will?" he said feebly.

Within moments, someone was at his side—but it wasn't Camp Half-Blood's sunny medic. It was Madam Pomfrey, who looked tremendously relieved. "Professors!" she called. "He's awake!"

Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape walked over to join them. "Ah, Mr. di Angelo," Dumbledore said gravely. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've fallen off the climbing wall," Nico replied. "What happened?"

The three teachers and Madam Pomfrey shared a glance. Then Dumbledore raised his eyebrows and looked back at Nico. "While I am impressed by your command of Ancient Greek, I believe my colleagues would appreciate it if you would speak in English."

"Sorry." Nico concentrated on talking normally. "So, what happened? Why does my head hurt?"

The faculty members shared another glance, and Dumbledore spoke again. "I'm afraid my Italian is extremely rusty. Do you remember how to speak English?"

"I…uh…" Nico concentrated very hard, causing his head to pound. He forced out each word individually. "What…happened?"

Professor McGonagall grimaced. "What do you remember?"

"We…were…oh, dimenticalo," Nico muttered, giving up. He switched back to Ancient Greek. "We were going to the Quidditch pitch…then Hermione decided to go to the library…and I followed her because I don't think it's safe for her to go anywhere alone…that's it. That's the last thing I remember." Dumbledore looked very disappointed to hear this. "What happened? What's wrong?"

Dumbledore sighed, turning to the other teachers. "He doesn't remember." He looked back at Nico. "I'm sorry to have to tell you that there has been another attack." He pulled aside the curtain that separated Nico's bed from the bed on his right. And on that bed was…

"No," Nico growled, trying to deny the sight before his eyes. Hermione lay utterly still, her eyes open and glassy. Nico tried to sit up, but Madam Pomfrey pushed him back against the bed. "No. _No!_ "

He shoved Madam Pomfrey out of the way, staggered over to Hermione's side and gripped her wrist. She wasn't dead. He could _feel_ that she wasn't dead. But she wasn't supposed to be like this. She wasn't _allowed_ to be like this!

"Bring her back!" Nico shouted. "Father, Apollo, Hecate, I don't care who! _Bring her back!_ "

He stumbled. Luckily, Professor McGonagall was there to catch him and return him to bed.

Madam Pomfrey brought him a potion. "Take a Calming Draught, Mr. di Angelo, _please_. You're making it freeze."

"And that was Italian again," Dumbledore added, re-lighting the candles that Nico had inadvertently extinguished. "If you cannot manage English, please speak in Greek."

Nico reluctantly accepted the potion from Madam Pomfrey. It did make him feel slightly calmer, but anger still boiled beneath the surface. He wanted to find and kill the Heir of Slytherin. " _What happened?_ " he repeated, in Greek this time.

"We had been hoping you could shed some light on that," Dumbledore said grimly, also switching to Greek. "Shortly before the Quidditch match was to begin, the ghost of Myrtle Warren burst into the Great Hall, claiming that there had been another attack. She led us to Miss Granger and informed us that you had gone chasing after the monster. A few minutes later, you were found at the base of a staircase near the library. You'd taken a nasty blow to the head; it appears that you fell." He held up the remains of Hermione's enchanted mirror, now shattered. "I don't suppose you can explain why you were carrying this?"

Nico shook his head, mystified, then winced as the motion caused a fresh stab of pain. "No idea. That's Hermione's, not mine."

Dumbledore nodded at Snape, who stepped forward. "There _is_ one thing we can try…" Snape said, holding up a second vial of potion. "I believe you are familiar with this particular brew."

Nico did indeed recognize the Draught of Memory Restoration. He took the vial and downed the potion in one gulp. Scattered fragments of memories surfaced in his mind, but nothing longer than a few seconds.

" _This is it! This must be the monster!"_

" _Maybe because Death has gone missing?"_

 _A familiar sense of evil approached…_

" _Get help!_ Now! _"_

The memories ended. Nico swallowed, tears in his eyes.

"Well?" Snape prompted.

Nico opened his mouth and found that he could speak English without difficulty again. "H-Hermione had figured out what the monster was. I think she told me, but…" He clenched a fist in frustration. "I can't remember. I'm sorry."

"That's all right," Professor McGonagall said soothingly. "Anything else?"

Nico concentrated, though it made his head hurt. That sense of evil…it could have been either Harry or the diary, and for this to happen only a few days after the diary was stolen…somehow, it must have been the diary. However, he didn't want to explain the diary, so he settled on something safer. "Professors, does the name 'Tom Riddle' mean anything to you?"

Judging by their looks of mingled shock and trepidation, it did. "Where did you hear that name?" Dumbledore asked cautiously.

"I'm not sure. But…I think he opened the Chamber of Secrets back in the 1940s."

Dumbledore sighed. "I have long suspected the same, though how you came to this conclusion, I would very much like to know. Riddle was never punished; he laid the blame on a fellow student who had often displayed an unusual fondness for creatures that many might term 'monsters'. Headmaster Dippet believed Riddle's accusation, and the student was expelled. However, it has always been my belief that Riddle framed the unfortunate student in order to cover for himself." Dumbledore briefly gazed into the distance, then looked at Nico again. "I implore you not to repeat the name 'Tom Riddle' to the other students. If any of them have heard of Riddle's more recent crimes…it could cause a panic. And while I understand your eagerness to avenge Miss Granger, I must ask that you leave this matter to the teachers."

Dumbledore took a deep breath. "Now, I must meet with the Minister of Magic. We had hoped that you might be able to identify the present culprit, but since you cannot, we will have to implement additional security. Minerva, Severus, would you speak to your houses? And inform Filius and Pomona as well."

Professor McGonagall glanced at Nico. "Should we not leave a guard on Mr. di Angelo? The Heir may yet try to silence him."

"An excellent point," Dumbledore conceded. "Very well, take it in turns to speak to your houses. Do not leave Mr. di Angelo unattended."

"I will take first watch," Snape offered.

Dumbledore nodded. "Very good. Come, Minerva." He departed the hospital wing, Professor McGonagall right behind him.

Nico suppressed a groan; now he stood no chance of sneaking out unnoticed. But perhaps that was just as well—he still had a splitting headache. He rolled over to stare at Hermione, wishing he could remember what had happened. How had he failed her so badly? Surely, with his sword…

His sword. Where was his sword? Nico looked at his hand, then searched his covers, but there was no trace of his ring. Somehow, during the course of the morning's events, he had lost his sword.

* * *

 **A/N: Quick note to explain my logic when Nico blames the prophecy for Thalia's time as a tree—Annabeth says that Hades sent the monsters Thalia was fighting when Zeus turned her into a tree, and we know from TLO that Hades was willing to take out other Big Three demigods to ensure that one of his own kids would be the hero of the prophecy. Not much of a stretch to think that this was why he sent monsters after Thalia.**

 **And for the record, Nico is not in any way immune or resistant to the basilisk's gaze. He never caught sight of its eyes, even indirectly.**


	23. Eyesight Is Bad for You

In the morning, Professor McGonagall escorted Nico back to Gryffindor Tower, explaining the new security measures along the way. He barely listened, keeping his eyes on the ground in the hopes that he might spot his ring lying abandoned somewhere. Naturally, he had no such luck.

Inside the common room, many people looked like they wanted to bombard him with questions, but one look at Nico's expression was enough to make them leave him alone. He went up to the dormitory and began searching his bed and trunk, even though he knew he'd been wearing the ring when he went to the library.

"How are you?" asked a voice from the doorway. Neville was standing there, watching Nico with a look of concern in his eyes.

"Go away," Nico snapped.

"No." Neville walked forward. "You need a friend, whether you like it or not."

"I do _not_ need a friend!" Nico hissed through gritted teeth, feeling the corners of his trunk. "I _had_ a friend, and look what happened to _her_!"

"Do you think you're the only one who's upset?" Neville challenged. "She's my friend too, you know. And she _isn't_ dead. The Mandrakes are getting close to maturity, she'll be revived soon enough."

Nico barked out a short, humorless, and slightly manic laugh. "And they're in the same greenhouses where second years have their lessons, and I have an extraordinary talent for killing any plants in my vicinity. Any time they try to get Mandrakes anywhere near her, I'll probably end up killing them by mistake…and then she'll _stay_ Petrified, for years and years, and then when she finally _does_ wake she'll have to live out the rest of her life in the wrong era, _knowing_ deep in her heart that she can never belong!"

"Don't you think that's just a little overdramatic?" Neville said skeptically. He knelt next to Nico at his trunk. "What are you looking…for…" He trailed off, catching sight of the dated photo. He stared at the photo, then at Nico, shocked. "Living in the wrong era…you weren't really talking about Hermione, were you?"

Nico also stared at the photo, then snapped his trunk shut. "I'm seventy-seven years old," he said quietly. "Not that I _feel_ like it; I spent more than sixty years in a magic hotel where time is all but frozen. My memory was erased right before that, so at first, I didn't even realize anything was out of place. I found out my true age a few months later, but it didn't really _sink in_ until I got my memories back…and realized just how much the world had changed. It was one of the most disorienting moments of my life. And now Hermione's going to have to go through that too. Even if nothing happens to this current batch of Mandrakes, and she's revived before the end of the year, she'll lose time. Time she can never get back."

Neville stayed silent for nearly a minute, trying to figure out what on earth he was supposed to say to that. At last, he spoke. "I'm sorry, for everything you've been through. But don't go thinking you don't belong. You have friends here, and you're a decent wizard. Better than me, except in Herbology. And from the sound of it, your _mind_ is only thirteen, so really you're as much a kid as the rest of us."

Nico shook his head. "That's not the only reason I don't belong. My family…"

"Your _family_?" Neville interrupted. "They sound completely mental, and you're not. And if you're about to say you don't belong with _them_ , well, why would you want to anyway?"

"They're not all bad," Nico admitted. "I've got some cousins who are fairly decent people. But my father was always the black sheep of the family, and that goes for his children too."

"And you think your family will never see you as anything but your father's son?"

Nico sat on his bed and petted Vescia. "I don't think so, I _know_ so. I've seen more than enough proof of _that_."

Neville sighed and sat next to him. "You really don't _want_ to be cheered up right now, do you."

"Not particularly, no." Nico fell silent for a few moments. "I don't suppose you've seen my ring, have you?"

"No, sorry."

Nico stood up again. "Please don't tell anyone how old I really am."

"I won't," Neville promised. "Uh…where are you going?"

"To look for my ring," Nico answered, as if it were obvious. "I must have dropped it near the library yesterday."

Neville's jaw dropped. "Didn't McGonagall tell you we're not supposed to leave Gryffindor Tower except for class?! And especially not just to search for a lost ring!"

Nico growled in frustration, but he sat down again. If no one else was about, and he didn't have his sword…it was far too dangerous to look. "That ring is very important to me," he grumbled.

"Not as important as your life," Neville retorted.

* * *

From that point on, Neville largely stayed at Nico's side, somewhat to Nico's irritation. It was nice to know that Neville cared, but it made it very difficult to come up with plans to find his sword or figure out what had happened on Saturday morning. To make matters worse, Dumbledore had been suspended and Hagrid had been arrested. From what he heard, Nico couldn't help but suspect that Hagrid was the student Riddle had framed.

When Nico walked into the greenhouses on Monday morning, plants around him immediately started wilting. Professor Sprout hurried over to block his path. "All right, that's enough. I've had students before with a talent for killing every plant they handle, but you are by _far_ the worst case I've ever seen! You are _not_ coming near my plants until Miss Granger is awake to accompany you!" She waved her wand and cleared a space in the corner. "You can sit there, and I'll find some reading for you to do."

Nico obeyed, suppressing a groan. He hated reading assignments—but he didn't want to risk damaging the Mandrakes.

* * *

In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Lockhart entered the classroom with a spring in his step. "Come now," he said, looking around. "Why all these long faces?"

"Why do you think?" Nico said waspishly.

"Don't you people realize the danger has passed?" Lockhart continued, as if he were speaking to a group of idiots. "The culprit has been taken away—"

"Says who?" Dean challenged.

"My dear young man, the Minister of Magic wouldn't have taken Hagrid if he hadn't been one hundred per cent sure that he was guilty," Lockhart stated, very condescendingly.

"Dumbledore thinks Hagrid is innocent, and I believe him," Nico argued.

"Yes, well, Dumbledore has been suspended, hasn't he?" Lockhart said loftily. "One must call into question his judgment."

"We're still in danger," Nico insisted, glaring hatefully at the useless professor. "And _this isn't over_."

Lockhart quailed slightly under Nico's glare. "If you would all open _Gadding With Ghouls_ …"

* * *

Potions presented a new problem for Nico: he no longer had Hermione to read Snape's cursive instructions for him. He spent several minutes staring at the board, only managing to piece together three words.

"Mr. di Angelo, are you all right?" Snape asked, in what was quite possibly the most sympathetic tone he had ever used toward a student.

"Hermione always read the instructions for me," Nico admitted. "I have a hard enough time reading print, cursive is almost impossible for me."

"If you've been having difficulty reading the instructions, Mr. di Angelo, all you had to do was ask." Snape tapped the board with his wand, and the instructions transformed into print.

"Thank you, sir, but I'm still not sure I can read that fast enough to do all the steps when I'm supposed to."

"How slow a reader can you _be_?" Pansy Parkinson asked, goggling.

Nico whirled to fix her with a furious glare. "I can hardly help being dyslexic."

"Settle down, both of you," Snape commanded. "Is anyone willing to volunteer to help Mr. di Angelo with the instructions?"

Neville swallowed. "I'll do it, sir."

Snape sneered at Neville, causing the latter to shrink back. However, no one else volunteered. "Very well, Mr. Longbottom," Snape finally relented. "Let us hope that working with Mr. di Angelo will enable you to produce a half-decent potion for once."

* * *

Weeks passed in a sort of haze. Hazel sent a letter saying she'd made a new friend named Frank, but Nico could scarcely muster the energy to be happy for her. Hermione was gone, his sword had quite possibly fallen into the wrong hands, and he'd learned who knew how much valuable information but had forgotten it that same day. Could _nothing_ in his miserable life go right?

At night, Nico and Neville would do their homework in the dormitory while the other boys stayed down in the common room. Neville seemed to be the only person brave enough to talk to Nico despite his constant foul mood. And, fortunately, he was able to help Nico with reading.

A few nights before exams were scheduled to begin, Neville suddenly looked up from his Herbology textbook. "Y'know, there's one thing I don't understand. That ghost said you went after the monster because Hermione had been attacked. But Hermione was attacked in a girls' bathroom. How would you have even known?"

Nico lowered his quill, his eyes widening. "Wait. You mean to say that Hermione was found _in_ a bathroom?"

"Yeah…didn't you know?"

Nico shook his head. "No…"

He dropped his quill, mind whirling. This latest revelation put things in an entirely new perspective. He had assumed that he'd sought out or summoned Myrtle to send her for help, but if Myrtle had already been on the scene…perhaps she could tell him more. It was worth investigating.

* * *

Once everyone else had gone to bed, Nico shadow-traveled to Myrtle's bathroom. He could hear her sobbing in her usual toilet. "Myrtle?" he called.

Myrtle slowly rose up to meet him. "Where have you been? You never came back to tell me if you succeeded."

"I'm sorry. They've put stricter security measures on the school, and, well…I don't even remember what happened that morning. I assume I didn't kill the monster, since I got knocked out and I lost my sword. I don't suppose it's somewhere in here?"

Myrtle shook her head. "No, you had it with you last I saw."

Nico sighed. "Can you tell me what happened that morning? Or at least what you know of it?"

Myrtle swelled importantly. "I was sitting in the U-bend, thinking about death, then suddenly I heard your voice. There was a loud thud and you started shouting Hermione's name. I came out of my toilet and saw her lying on the ground, holding a mirror, completely stiff like a statue. I asked you what had happened and you yelled at me to get help. I asked what _you_ were going to do and you said you were going to go back and kill the monster. You pried the mirror from Hermione's hand, you made a sword appear out of nowhere and then you vanished into the shadows. I went to the Great Hall to get some teachers and that was the last I saw of you."

Nico sank to the ground. "So Hermione wasn't attacked in here…I must have shadow-traveled us both in here to escape the monster, but I was seconds too late…"

Myrtle sat next to him and gave him a comforting pat. "They said she was just Petrified. They'll be able to revive her."

"No thanks to me," Nico mumbled. "Did I happen to say anything about what the monster could be?"

Myrtle shook her head. "No. There was one strange thing, though. When I got back with the teachers, I could have sworn Hermione had been moved."

Nico suddenly straightened. "Moved?"

"Yes." Myrtle stood up. "When you first got here, Hermione was lying _here_ —" Myrtle gestured to the floor in front of the stall nearest the door, "—but when I got back, Hermione was _here_." Myrtle gestured to the floor in front of the divider between the first and second stalls.

"Interesting," Nico said thoughtfully. "But if I shadow-traveled us here, how would anyone else have known where to find her?"

Myrtle shrugged. "I don't know. The only person I saw on my way to the Great Hall was a blonde first year who said she was looking for you."

"Blonde first year… _Luna_?" Nico realized, surprised. "What did you say to her?"

"Only that there had been an attack."

Nico stood up. "Thank you, Myrtle. You've been very helpful." He shadow-traveled back to his bed.

* * *

At breakfast the next morning, Professor McGonagall made an announcement. "Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been Petrified. I need hardly remind you all that at least one of them knew precisely what the monster is, and may have seen more. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit."

The hall broke into an explosion of cheering, and Neville turned to Nico. "See? I told you Hermione would be all right!"

"I hope so," Nico murmured. "Excuse me."

He stood up and approached the Ravenclaw table. Luna was sitting all by herself, a little ways apart from the other students. "Why were you looking for me the morning that Hermione was attacked?" Nico demanded quietly.

Luna jumped at the sound of his voice, but relaxed when she saw who he was. "Oh, hello, Nico. I've been waiting for a chance to return this to you." She pulled his ring out of her pocket.

Nico gaped. " _You've_ had my ring all this time? Why did you never say anything before?"

"Well, you were always with Neville. I wasn't sure if you wanted him to know you have a magic sword."

"You—you know it's a sword?" Nico stammered. "How?"

"I found it lying next to you that morning. It looked like it was made of Noctimum; it leeched all the light out of the air around it. I was going to hide it, because I was afraid people would see it and get the wrong idea about you, but the moment I touched it, it shrank into this ring. So I put it in my pocket and went to tell the teachers that someone needed to take you to the hospital wing."

"You…touched the sword?"

Luna shrugged. "Just the hilt."

"And it turned back into a ring?"

"Yes, I told you that." Luna eyed him with mild concern. "Do you have Wrackspurts in your ears?"

Nico shook his head, finally taking the ring and putting it back on. "No, I just…didn't realize it would do that. I guess it doesn't like being wielded by people outside my family."

"Well then, clearly it's more use to you than to me," Luna concluded.

"Yes." Nico paused. "You never answered my original question. Why were you looking for me that morning?"

For some reason, Luna turned faintly pink. "I'd heard you and Hermione say you were going to the library, and you were taking a really long time, and I was afraid something had happened to you…I guess I was right."

"Oh. Well, thanks, then."

"You're quite welcome," Luna said pleasantly.

Nico returned to the Gryffindor table and sat next to Neville again. Moments later, Harry sat on his other side. Nico opened his mouth to ask what Harry wanted, then closed it again when he noticed Harry sitting several meters away with Ron. He turned and saw that the person radiating evil on his other side was actually Ginny.

"Nico," she whispered, sounding terrified. "Please help…he says there's something different about you…"

"Tom?" Nico guessed. "You have his diary?"

"I…" Ginny reached into her pocket and tried to pull something out, but her hands were shaking too badly. "He…he'll kill…"

The bell rang. Ginny jumped, then her eyes glazed over and she scurried away. Nico tried to follow her, but Harry and Ron blocked his path. "Did Ginny just tell you something?" Harry demanded.

"She tried to," Nico growled. "Don't waste your energy on _me_ , she is in _serious_ trouble!"

"Is she now?" Ron demanded harshly. "Stay away from my sister!"

Nico glanced at the entrance to the Great Hall, where Snape was herding the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw first years toward the dungeons. "You may have just cost Ginny her life. _You_ stay away from _me!_ "

Harry and Ron shot Nico identical looks of hatred, then marched away.

"What was _that_ about?" Neville wondered.

Nico kept his eyes on the spot where he'd last seen Ginny. "By the time the Mandrake Draught is ready, it'll be too late."

* * *

As soon as Lockhart called the class to attention, Nico raised his hand. Lockhart called on him. "Yes, Mr. di Angelo?"

"Ginny Weasley is in danger."

Lockhart looked annoyed. "Mr. di Angelo, we've been over this. The danger has passed."

" _No_ , it _hasn't_!" Nico insisted. "She just came up to me, terrified out of her mind, telling me that someone was going to kill!"

"Poor girl doesn't know what she's talking about," Lockhart said dismissively.

"And what if she does?" Ron challenged. "Is that a risk you're going to take?"

" _There is no risk!_ " Lockhart insisted. "Now open _Break with a Banshee_!"

The class reluctantly acquiesced. Harry and Ron both gave Nico odd looks, clearly wondering what he was playing at.

* * *

On the way to History of Magic, Harry and Ron managed to convince Lockhart to leave the class unattended. As soon as Lockhart was out of sight, Harry and Ron snuck away. Nico was fully prepared to do the same, except he wasn't sure what class Ginny had now. He decided to head toward the Potions classroom, where he last knew she'd been.

Nico halted when he saw the Fat Friar. "Excuse me, have you seen Ginny Weasley?"

"Why yes, actually," the Friar replied. "She was all by herself. I asked her why she wasn't with her classmates, but she told me it was none of my business. Rather rudely, too."

"Oh, Styx," Nico muttered. "Which way did she go?"

"That way, I believe," the Friar said, pointing.

Nico thanked him and went off in the direction the Friar had indicated. After several minutes of wandering, he found himself outside Myrtle's bathroom—and discovered that the Heir had left a new message.

HER SKELETON WILL LIE IN THE CHAMBER FOREVER

Nico froze, concentrating. Ginny wasn't dead yet…but he had no idea how long that would last. And now she was beyond his reach.

He debated going for a teacher, but he doubted they could do anything either. Probably best not to be found anywhere near the scene of the crime. He hurried to History of Magic and slipped into the back of the room. Fortunately, Professor Binns never noticed he'd been gone. Curiously, Harry and Ron had yet to rejoin the group.

* * *

Not long afterward, Professor McGonagall's voice sounded throughout the castle, ordering the students back to their dormitories. The students obeyed, the air thick with tension and fear. Professor McGonagall soon came up to the common room to reveal what Nico had already guessed: Ginny Weasley was missing, apparently taken into the Chamber. Then she went on to say that the school would be closed, and the students were to be sent home the next morning.

Nico went up to his dormitory, deciding to catch some sleep. If only he could dream of the Chamber, he'd be able to shadow-travel inside. Unfortunately, it took hours for him to fall asleep.

When he finally did sleep, he dreamed of Myrtle's bathroom. Muffled sobs came from her favorite stall. The dream shifted to show the interior—where Myrtle was leaning against the door, very much flesh and blood.

Footsteps entered the bathroom proper, and a male voice hissed in Parseltongue. Myrtle wiped her eyes, sniffling, then opened the door and promptly keeled over. A massive green snake slithered out of a hole in the wall where a sink normally stood. Tom stood next to the snake, regarding Myrtle's body with an air of triumph.

* * *

Nico woke up, silently cursing his own stupidity. Myrtle had _told_ him the story of her death, back in first year. How had it never crossed his mind that the 'great, big, yellow eyes' belonged to the monster of Slytherin?

Eyes. A murderous stare. At long last, his memory jogged.

" _This is it! This must be the monster!" Hermione cried, showing Nico the book she was reading._

" _Just read it to me," Nico said impatiently._

" _The Basilisk," Hermione explained. "It's a snake, which is why Harry heard its voice, and spiders flee before it, like the ones you saw when Colin was attacked."_

" _And it can turn people to stone?" Nico prompted._

" _Actually, it_ kills _by looking people in the eye," Hermione said, frowning. "But no one's died…"_

" _Maybe because Death has gone missing?" Nico theorized._

 _Hermione thought about it, then shook her head. "No. Because no one looked_ directly _into its eyes. Mrs. Norris saw its reflection in a puddle, Colin saw it through his camera, and Justin…Justin must've seen it_ through _Nick. Nick looked directly into its eyes, but he's a ghost, he couldn't die_ again _…"_

" _So, we should walk around with mirrors?" Nico suggested._

 _Hermione pulled out her mirror. "Definitely. Still not sure how it's been getting around unseen…oh!" She wrote a single word on the page and ripped it out of the book. "We've got to show this to a teacher."_

 _They walked along a corridor, keeping their eyes on the mirror. A familiar sense of evil approached from around a nearby corner. Nico wondered what Harry would be doing away from the Quidditch pitch right before the match…and then it hit him._ This wasn't Harry. _He grabbed Hermione and melted into the shadow cast by the corner._

 _Nico heaved a sigh of relief when they rematerialized in Myrtle's bathroom. "That was close."_

 _Hermione toppled over, hitting the ground with a very solid thud. "Hermione? Hermione! HERMIONE!"_

 _Myrtle drifted out of her stall. "Nico? What's going on?"_

" _Get help!" Nico shouted. "_ Now! _"_

" _What are_ you _going to do?" Myrtle demanded, already moving toward the opposite wall._

 _Nico pried the mirror from Hermione's grasp and summoned his sword. "I am going to go back to that corridor and I am going to_ kill _the monster right now!"_

 _He melted back into the shadows and reappeared at the corner where Hermione had presumably spotted the basilisk. Stupid him—he'd forgotten there was a_ staircase _around that corner. He flailed and tried to regain his balance, but a massive green tail flicked into him and knocked him down the stairs. His head cracked against the stone floor, and the world went black._

* * *

Nico took a few deep breaths. He might not yet know what the diary had done to Ginny, nor had he seen the interior of the Chamber, but he'd seen its entrance. And he knew what the monster was. He was going to find a way into that Chamber, or die trying.


	24. Riddles Are Also Bad for You

Nico appeared out of the shadows in Myrtle's bathroom and approached the sinks. He inspected the tap in front of Myrtle's stall and found a very tiny snake etched into the metal.

"Broken since the day I first used this place," he muttered. "Why did I never question it? How could I have made this place my personal sanctuary without noticing?"

"It was _my_ personal sanctuary first," Myrtle grumbled from behind him.

"Good point," Nico agreed. "How did _you_ not notice?"

"Not notice what?"

"The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets has been right under your nose this whole time! And you never saw _anything_ suspicious?"

"Most people who come in here just insult me," Myrtle said somewhat defensively. " _You're_ the only one worth coming out and talking to."

Nico sighed. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Right at that moment, the door opened, startling Nico. Lockhart entered, visibly shaking. He was followed by Harry and Ron, both of whom held him at wandpoint. As soon as Harry spotted Nico, he cast the Disarming Charm. Nico's ring flew off and landed in a sink next to Harry. Harry briefly looked surprised, but he quickly snatched it up.

"Give that back," Nico said coldly.

"I don't think so," Harry retorted. "I'm betting it's more than just decoration, if the Disarming Charm worked on it. A disguise for your sword, perhaps?"

"Give it _back_!" Nico repeated, pulling out his wand. Ron cast another Disarming Charm and picked up Nico's wand.

Myrtle floated in front of Nico. "Leave him alone!"

"Stay out of this, Myrtle," Nico said quietly, gently pushing her aside.

Lockhart tried to slip away, but Ron hurriedly pointed his wand back at the so-called professor. Harry kept his wand pointed at Nico, though his eyes were on Myrtle.

"Myrtle, how did you die?" Harry asked slowly.

"Are you suggesting that Nico killed me?" Myrtle said indignantly. "Because he didn't! I died long before he came to Hogwarts!"

"How?" Harry repeated.

"I don't really know," Myrtle admitted. "I just remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes right here." She pointed at the sink with the snake etching.

"The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets," Nico stated.

"Was that a confession?" Ron demanded aggressively. "What did you do to Ginny?!"

Nico gritted his teeth. "I confess that when someone began attacking students, I did some investigating! And now I am attempting to _save_ your sister's life, which I could have done this morning if you hadn't gotten in my way!"

Harry scoffed. "A likely story. Open the Chamber."

Nico glared at him. "I don't know how. But I bet you need Parseltongue to do it, and though I am fluent in three languages, Parseltongue is not one of them."

"Fine then," Harry snapped. " _I'll_ open it." He squinted at the snake etching. "Open up."

"If I can understand you, you're not doing it right," Nico taunted.

Harry moved his head slightly, then made a hissing sound. The tap glowed with a brilliant white light and began to spin. A moment later, the sink began to move and then sank out of sight, exposing a large pipe. Harry, Ron and Lockhart all appeared to be struck speechless by the sight. Then Harry stiffened with determination.

"I'm going down there," Harry stated.

"Me too," Ron said instantly.

"Well, you hardly seem to need me," Lockhart said shakily, making a pitiful effort at a smile. "I'll just—"

"Not so fast," Ron snarled.

Harry narrowed his eyes at Nico. "You first." He turned to Lockhart. "And you second, in case Nico thinks about setting any traps for us."

"Fine, if it gets us to stop wasting time," Nico said irritably. He lowered himself into the pipe, then let go.

It was like rushing down a dark, endless, slimy slide. Numerous pipes branched off in all directions, but none were as large as the pipe Nico had entered. It twisted and turned, leading far beneath the school. Just as Nico began to wonder if the pipe led straight to the Underworld, it leveled out. He slid out the end and landed in a damp, dark room deep underground. The bones of small animals littered the floor.

Lockhart shot out of the pipe, covered in slime. Harry and Ron soon followed, equally filthy. "We must be kilometers under the school," Harry said, his voice echoing.

"Under the lake, probably," Ron agreed, looking around. He and Harry both lit their wands.

"Remember, any sign of movement, close your eyes straight away," Harry ordered. He turned to Nico, holding him at wandpoint again. "Take us to Ginny."

"Whatever you say," Nico grumbled, leading the way down the tunnel. He silently willed the animal skeletons to follow, keeping to the shadows. Every time he spotted another skeleton, it joined his little army.

After about a minute of walking, Nico decided to voice a question that had been bugging him. "Why exactly is Lockhart here?"

"He was trying to run away," Ron growled. "Just going to up and leave my sister to die, because he's nothing but a _fraud_!"

"Well, seeing as he doesn't know the first thing about fighting monsters—which I thought was quite obvious after our first lesson—what use do you think he'll be down here?"

"He tried to modify our memories," Harry explained. "We're not letting him out of our sight."

Nico sighed at their short-sightedness. "You should have just knocked him out and locked him in his office. When going into battle, the last thing you want is someone at your back that you can't trust. A rule I would certainly like to be following right now…" He trailed off and froze as a massive shape loomed in front of them.

"What is it?" Harry demanded harshly.

Nico relaxed again. "Just a snake skin, that's all." He continued walking, but stopped again at a sudden movement behind him. Lockhart's knees had given way.

"Get up," Ron said sharply, pointing his wand at Lockhart.

Lockhart got up—then he dived at Ron, knocking him to the ground and seizing his wand. He brandished it at the three boys, a slightly crazed glint in his eyes. "The adventure ends here, boys! I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save the girl, and that you three _tragically_ lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body—say good-bye to your memories!"

Lockhart began casting a spell. Instinctively, Nico threw up his hands to defend himself. A spire of black rock shot up out of the ground in front of Lockhart, snapping Ron's wand with a bright flash of light. The tunnel rumbled and large chunks of rock crumbled down from the ceiling. Nico and Harry both covered their heads with their arms and ran.

A few moments later, the dust cleared to reveal a solid wall of broken rock. Ron and Lockhart were nowhere in sight.

"Ron!" Harry shouted, pounding on the rock. "Are you okay? Ron!"

"I'm here!" Ron replied, his voice muffled. "My wand's done for, though—at least it blasted this git when it broke." There was a dull thud and a cry of pain; it sounded like Ron had kicked Lockhart. "What now? We can't get through, it'll take ages…"

Harry turned to Nico. "What the hell was that?! You don't even have your wand!"

"He was trying to erase my memories and I panicked!" Nico snapped. "Accidental magic, ever heard of it?"

Harry gave him a suspicious look, then glanced at the ceiling. Huge cracks had appeared. "I don't suppose you'd be capable of reversing what you did?"

"No, I can't," Nico said irritably. "Especially seeing as Ron has my wand on the other side." He raised his voice. "Ron, how about you try to shift some rock to create a passage, and Harry and I will keep going?"

"You're not the one in charge here," Ron snapped.

"I don't see any better options," Harry interjected. "If I'm not back in an hour, get help."

"Got it," Ron replied, a slight tremor in his voice. "And good luck."

"Come on," Harry said to Nico.

They walked on, and slowly the noise of shifting rock faded from earshot. Nico eyed Harry, wondering if he could tackle him and take back his ring the way Lockhart had snatched Ron's wand. He decided against it; Harry would probably be on guard against that. He returned his attention to animating animal skeletons, knowing they might be his only weapon.

At long last, they reached a solid wall on which two entwined serpents were carved, with massive emeralds for eyes. Harry hissed. The serpents parted and the wall cracked open, the two halves sliding out of sight to reveal a very long, dimly-lit chamber. Nico and Harry walked inside, Harry visibly shaking.

The Chamber was lined with towering stone pillars, each carved with more snakes. Nico directed his army of animal skeletons to hide behind the pillars. Then he looked toward the end of the Chamber, where he could see a tall statue of a wizard. A prone figure laid at the statue's feet. Ginny Weasley was lying face-down, apparently unconscious. The diary lay open behind her.

As they got closer to the end of the Chamber, Nico realized something was _very_ wrong. He could sense the second soul fragment—except it seemed to be coming from the diary, Ginny, and a nearby pillar all at once.

Harry, of course, noticed none of this. As soon as he spotted Ginny, he raced to her side and dropped to his knees. He flung his wand to the side, turned Ginny over and desperately begged her to wake up.

"She's not going to wake up," Nico said darkly. He turned to the pillar. "Isn't that right, Tom?"

Tom stepped out of the shadows and picked up Harry's wand. "Quite so." He narrowed his eyes at Nico. "Curious."

Harry looked up in surprise. "Tom… _Tom Riddle_?"

Tom nodded, looking between Harry and Nico.

Harry swallowed. "What d'you mean, she won't wake? She's not…"

"Still alive," Nico stated. "But dying."

"Well then _fix her_!" Harry demanded angrily. He reached for his wand and finally noticed that it was gone. "Where's my wand?"

"Why don't you ask the Heir of Slytherin?" Nico said bitingly, jerking his head at Tom. "Though I doubt he has any intention of giving it back."

Tom smiled. "Well, you won't be needing it."

The color drained from Harry's face as the truth seemed to hit him. "You?"

"Me," Tom agreed.

"What—what happened to Ginny?" Harry stammered out.

Tom began to tell the story of how Ginny had been writing in his diary all year. He paused and glanced at Nico. "I must say, your cat gave me some trouble. Ginny was reluctant to take the diary out of her dormitory for fear the beast wouldn't be friends with her."

Nico smirked. "Good Vescia."

Tom made a noise of annoyance and returned his attention to Harry. He continued his story, explaining how he had made Ginny open the Chamber. He explained that Ginny initially had no idea what she was doing, but eventually became suspicious enough to attempt to dispose of the diary. Apparently, this was where Harry had come in—he'd found the diary, and Tom showed Harry how he had 'caught' Hagrid in an effort to gain Harry's trust.

"But then…" Tom warily eyed Nico. "Then _you_ came along. The moment you touched the diary, I realized there was something off about you. When Ginny stole the diary back, afraid of what I might have said to Harry, I seized the chance to get rid of you. Except you escaped and the Mudblood was Petrified instead."

" _Don't call her that,_ " Nico hissed dangerously.

Tom ignored him. "When Ginny first told me about your cat, I thought perhaps you were a grandson or a great-grandson, but after you held the diary, and especially now that I see you…seventy years since I saw you last, and yet you've scarcely aged seven. You're the same boy, aren't you?"

Nico started, suddenly realizing the _real_ reason Tom had looked familiar. " _You_ ," he growled. " _You're_ that boy who was torturing kittens! All this time, I thought Bianca and I had taught you a lesson, but…" His eyes widened as he remembered something else. "You—the _real_ you—said we'd set you on 'the path of immortality'. Is _that_ really what you got out of the whole thing?!"

Tom's eyes glinted with an odd red light. "You showed me that death can be conquered."

"Not by the likes of you," Nico said angrily. "No mere human could ever hope to grasp the power necessary to grant true immortality. You may have defied Death, but your soul is still mortal, and one day _your reckoning will come._ "

"'No mere human'…so what does that make _you_?" Tom challenged.

"More than human," Nico replied. "Cursed with a father who has _very_ bizarre parenting ideas."

"Hold on!" Harry interrupted. " _What are you talking about?!_ "

Nico glared hatefully at the future Dark Lord. "Tom should have died the night he killed your parents. But he remains in the mortal world, and we just barely stopped him getting his hands—or rather Quirrell's hands—on the Philosopher's Stone last year."

Harry drew a deep, shaky breath. "You mean to say that—that he's—"

Tom pulled out Harry's wand and wrote three shimmering words in the air. He waved the wand, and the letters shifted to form four words. "You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever?" he said quietly. "No, Harry—I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!"

Harry appeared to be stunned into silence. Eventually, he found his voice. "You're not."

"Not what?" Tom snapped.

"Not the greatest sorcerer in the world. _Albus Dumbledore_ is the greatest sorcerer in the world—everyone says so, and even when you were strong, you were too scared of Dumbledore to try attacking the school!"

Tom adopted a very ugly expression. "Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere _memory_ of me!"

"He's not as gone as you might think!"

Tom opened his mouth, but froze. Music was coming from somewhere, slowly swelling and growing in volume. Tom wildly looked around for the source. Flames erupted near the top of a nearby pillar, and a magnificent crimson bird appeared. It swooped toward Harry, dropped a ragged object at his feet and landed on his shoulder.

"That's a phoenix," Tom said, staring shrewdly at the bird.

"Fawkes?" Harry whispered.

"And _that_ ," Tom continued, eyeing the ragged bundle, "that's the old school Sorting Hat…" He stared for a few moments longer, then burst into laughter. "This is what Dumbledore sends his defender! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Potter? Do you feel safe now?"

Tom finally turned serious and demanded to know how Harry had previously defeated Voldemort. Harry explained that his mother had died to save him. Tom interpreted this to mean that Harry had merely gotten lucky, then he straightened and adopted a twisted smile.

"Now, I'm going to teach you both a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against the famous Harry Potter, armed with the best weapons Dumbledore can give him, and against a boy who claims to be more than human, yet has no weapon at all."

Nico glowered at him. "You really ought to pick your battlefield more carefully, Tom. You've chosen to face me deep underground, in a place full of darkness and death— _all things that make me stronger._ "

Tom smirked. "We shall see." He turned to the statue of Slytherin and hissed something in Parseltongue. The stone face began moving, then Slytherin's mouth opened to reveal a large hole. Something stirred inside, slithering up from the depths.

"Give me my sword, Harry!" Nico demanded, shutting his eyes.

"From the sound of it, you don't need it!" Harry retorted. Something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber.

Nico huffed in exasperation and backed toward the pillars until he hit the wall. "Skeletons, attack!" he shouted in Greek. "Go for the eyes, try to blind it!"

There was a loud rattling sound as over a hundred rat and mouse skeletons surged forth from the shadows. Other sounds suggested that the basilisk was trying to attack them, but there were far too many tiny moving targets. The basilisk spat and thrashed in anger. Tom frantically hissed in Parseltongue.

Soon, Nico sensed the skeletons shifting, seeking other weak points in the serpent's scales. He chanced a look through narrowed eyes. The basilisk swayed, blood dripping from its own eyes. Then Tom hissed something else, and the basilisk turned its head toward another target—Harry, lying on the ground halfway down the Chamber.

"Nico, how do you use this sword?" Harry yelled, rolling over and dodging a strike from the basilisk.

" _You_ don't!" Nico retorted. "You're completely human!"

Harry dodged again. "Well do _something_!"

Nico moved forward, intending to distract the basilisk, but his knees buckled and he staggered against a nearby pillar. Controlling so many skeletons at once was taking its toll on him. Worse, the basilisk seemed to have given up attacking the skeletons. How, then, could he help Harry?

Nico spotted the Sorting Hat lying where Harry had dropped it. He had no idea what use it would be, but he had a feeling the phoenix had brought the Hat for a reason. He commanded several skeletons to break away from the swarm and bring the Hat to Harry.

Once Harry received the Hat, he jammed it on his head. Moments later, he took it off and withdrew a silver sword. He began wildly swinging the sword at the basilisk, but no strikes connected.

Nico winced; it was plain to see that Harry had never been taught to wield a sword. "Don't attack until it's in range!" Nico yelled.

The basilisk must have located his voice; a moment later, the tail slammed into Nico and sent him flying toward the statue of Slytherin. He hit the wall behind it and his chest exploded with pain. It felt like several ribs had broken. The skeletons fell apart; he no longer had the energy or focus to keep them going.

"One down," Tom gloated. He hissed something else at the basilisk.

Moving very carefully, so as not to either aggravate his injuries or attract Tom's attention, Nico pulled an ambrosia square out of his pocket and ate it. He felt his ribs begin to mend, but he knew he wouldn't be in fighting condition any time soon. Harry would have to kill the basilisk on his own.

A scream of pain jolted Nico out of his thoughts. Harry had managed to stab the basilisk in the mouth. But though the basilisk twitched and fell to the ground, its death buzzing in Nico's ears, Harry also collapsed. He pulled a long, thin fang out of his arm and stared numbly at it. The phoenix flew over to him.

Tom approached Harry, his back to Nico. "So ends the famous Harry Potter," he said quietly. "Alone in the Chamber of Secrets, failed by his classmates, defeated at last by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged."

Tom continued talking, but Harry's gaze had fallen on the diary, lying less than a meter away from Nico. Then, with what looked like the last of his strength, Harry used his good arm to take out Nico's ring and roll it toward him. Tom whirled around, but it was too late. Nico snatched up the ring, summoned his sword and slashed the diary in half. Tom screamed as the sword absorbed and destroyed the soul fragment.

Harry's wand fell to the ground. He shakily took it and stood up, looking far better than he had a minute previously. Something wet glinted on his injured arm.

"Phoenix tears," Harry explained, sounding dazed. "Healing powers—I'd forgotten—"

Ginny moaned. Nico hurriedly transformed his sword, then crawled over to Ginny as she sat up. She looked around—first at the dead basilisk, then at Harry, then finally at Nico and the remains of the diary. She drew a great, shuddering gasp and burst into tears.

"Nico…Harry…I tried to tell you…"

"Shh," Nico interrupted soothingly. "We know. It wasn't your fault."

"But it was!" Ginny wailed. "I'm going to be expelled!"

" _No_ ," Nico said firmly. "Harry and I both heard Tom say he made you do it. No one's going to punish you for that. You're fine now. The basilisk is dead, the diary has been destroyed, and Tom can't hurt you any more."

Ginny looked at the diary again. "He was right…you _were_ a threat to him…"

Harry came up to them, holding the silver sword. He offered his other hand to Ginny. "Come on," he said gently, helping her to her feet. "Let's get you out of here." He glanced at Nico, hesitating. "You all right?"

"I will be," Nico replied, wincing. He grabbed hold of one of the statue's feet and used it to haul himself upright. He glanced at his ring, then at Harry. "Thanks."

Harry shrugged. "A sword for a sword. Seemed fair."

Nico glanced at Ginny, wondering what she would make of that statement, but she seemed too lost in her own troubles to pay attention. She continued to shake with suppressed sobs. Nico and Harry shared a look and came to a silent agreement to save all further discussion for later. Together, they escorted Ginny out of the Chamber of Secrets once and for all.

* * *

 **A/N: For the record, I came up with the backstory of Nico and Bianca attacking a young Tom Riddle with zombie kittens _before_ deciding to include one of said kittens in the present day story.**


	25. Harry's Head Nearly Explodes

After a few minutes of walking, they reached the rock fall. "Ron!" Harry called. "Ginny's okay! We've got her!"

Ron cheered and poked his head through the sizeable gap he'd made in the rocks. "Ginny!" he exclaimed, reaching an arm out to help her through the gap. "You're alive! I don't believe it! What happened? How—what—where did that bird come from?"

"He's Dumbledore's," Harry explained, following the phoenix through the hole.

"How come you've got a _sword_?" Ron continued, gaping at Harry's new weapon.

"Something to do with the Sorting Hat," Nico answered. He also climbed through the hole, with some difficulty due to his still-mending ribs.

Ron scowled. " _You're_ still here?"

"He's not the Heir," Harry said quickly. "He never was. We fought the basilisk together."

"Nice of you to finally notice I'm not evil," Nico grumbled. He glanced at his wand, which Ron was now holding. "Sorry about your wand, by the way. I'll pay you for a new one."

Ron didn't seem to know what to make of that. After a few moments of awkward silence, he gave Nico back his wand. "Thanks, I guess."

"Where's Lockhart?" Harry wondered.

Ron jerked his head toward the end of the tunnel near the pipe. "Back there. He's in a bad way. Come and see."

Ron led them all back to the mouth of the pipe. Lockhart was sitting there, humming to himself. "His memory's gone," Ron explained. "When my wand broke, he got blasted with his own Memory Charm. He hasn't got a clue who he is, or where he is, or who we are. I told him to come and wait here. He's a danger to himself."

"Hello," Lockhart said good-naturedly. "Odd sort of place, this, isn't it? Do you live here?"

Nico swallowed hard, thinking of his own experiences with amnesia. "No. And neither do you."

Harry bent down and looked up the long, dark pipe. "Any ideas how we're going to get back up this?"

Nico grimaced, wondering if he should say anything. He wasn't sure he could shadow-travel _himself_ right now, let alone four other people.

Fortunately, the phoenix offered another solution. It swooped in front of Harry and waved its long, golden tail feathers. Harry and Ron quickly came to the conclusion that the phoenix was offering to carry them.

"We'll have to hold on to each other," Harry decided. "Ginny, grab Ron's hand. Professor Lockhart—"

"He means you," Nico told Lockhart.

"You hold Ginny's other hand," Harry continued. "And Nico, you can take Lockhart's other hand."

Nico took a step backwards, uncomfortable at the idea of holding hands with an attractive—with a _fraud_ like Lockhart. "I'm not sure flying out is a good idea for me. My ribs are still mending."

"Mending?" Harry said, confused. "I _thought_ I heard a crack—but how are you healing yourself?"

Nico pulled another ambrosia square out of his pocket. "Healing properties. Can't eat too much, though, or I'll literally burn up."

"We are _so_ having a talk later," Harry muttered. "But Madam Pomfrey's good with bones, she can fix you up in a heartbeat if anything goes wrong."

Seeing no other option, Nico took Lockhart's hand. Lockhart took Ginny's hand, Ginny took Ron's hand, Ron grabbed the back of Harry's robes, and Harry took hold of the phoenix's tail feathers. Moments later, they were flying upward through the pipe. Strangely, the experience did not aggravate Nico's injuries; he felt extraordinarily light. Soon, they all spilled onto the floor of Myrtle's bathroom.

"You're alive," Myrtle said blankly.

"Surprisingly, yes," Nico agreed. "I don't think you'll be getting any more giant killer snakes in the bathroom."

"Where now?" Ron asked, glancing at his tear-streaked sister. The phoenix fluttered over to the door, clearly trying to lead them somewhere. Harry opened the door and they all followed.

* * *

The phoenix led them out of the bathroom and through the castle to Professor McGonagall's office. Harry knocked and pushed the door open.

For a moment, there was silence, then a woman screamed and two red-headed blurs flung themselves on Ginny. Professor Dumbledore beamed at them while Professor McGonagall clutched her heart and took great, steadying gasps. The phoenix flew past the students and settled on Dumbledore's shoulder.

Mrs. Weasley finally released her daughter and swept all three boys into a hug. Nico made a noise of protest and quickly pulled away.

"You saved her! You saved her!" Mrs. Weasley cried. " _How_ did you do it?"

"I think we'd all like to know that," Professor McGonagall said faintly.

Harry hesitated, then walked forward to set the silver sword and the Sorting Hat on the desk. He explained how a house-elf had visited him the previous summer to warn him about terrible events at Hogwarts, and how the house-elf had gone to extraordinary lengths to try to keep him away from school, even enchanting the Bludger during the Quidditch match with Slytherin. Harry explained how he and Ron had watched Hagrid's arrest from underneath the Invisibility Cloak and how Hagrid had told them to 'follow the spiders'. He explained how they'd found Aragog and learned that the victim of the previous Chamber opening had died in a bathroom. He then moved on to recount the events of that morning, when he and Ron had tried to sneak away to visit Myrtle but had been caught by Professor McGonagall and pretended they'd meant to visit Colin Creevey in the hospital wing. While there, Ron had wandered over to Hermione and discovered the page she'd ripped out of the book about basilisks. Harry and Ron guessed that the entrance of the Chamber might be in Myrtle's bathroom, and they went to tell Lockhart as much, only to find him trying to run away. Finally, Harry reached the part where they'd entered Myrtle's bathroom and found Nico already inside.

Everyone looked at Nico. "And how did _you_ figure it out?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"I'd remembered something else about the morning Hermione was attacked," Nico answered, thinking quickly. "I remembered her saying something about the monster having a murderous stare. Myrtle once told me that the last thing she saw before she died was a massive pair of eyes, so I made the connection."

"Very well," Professor McGonagall sighed. "So you found out where the entrance was—Potter and Weasley breaking a number of school rules into pieces along the way, I might add—but how on _earth_ did you all get out of there alive?"

Harry and Nico shared a look, then Harry took a deep breath and continued the story, conveniently omitting any mention of Nico's sword—or of Tom, for some reason. He recounted the phoenix's arrival with the Sorting Hat, then faltered and glanced at Ginny.

"It wasn't Ginny's fault," Nico spoke up. "Tom Riddle—the boy who became You-Know-Who—was controlling her with this." He took out the remains of the diary.

"You-Know-Who?" Mr. Weasley repeated in disbelief. "Con-controlling Ginny? But…but she's not…she hasn't been…has she?"

"He placed a piece of his soul in the diary back when he was in school," Nico continued. "And that piece of his soul has been possessing her off and on all year."

"A piece of his _soul_?" Harry repeated, frowning. "I thought he said it contained the memory of his sixteen-year-old self or something like that."

Nico winced at his slip. "Doesn't matter what he said. I've heard of this type of magic, it was obvious to me what he'd done."

Dumbledore frowned. "And where, pray tell, did you hear of this magic? It is not part of the Hogwarts curriculum. The only books that _might_ mention it are locked away in the restricted section."

Nico grimaced. "My father has a particular hatred for anyone who splits their soul. Anyway, Ginny got hold of the diary somehow, and, well…"

Mr. Weasley turned to his daughter. " _Where_ did you find that?!"

"I d-didn't know," Ginny sobbed. "It was inside one of the books Mum got me. I th-thought someone had just left it there and forgotten about it. I st-started writing in it, and then T-Tom wrote back, and…"

" _Ginny!_ " Mr. Weasley gasped. "Haven't I taught you _anything_? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself _if you can't see where it keeps its brain!_ Why didn't you show the diary to me, or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was _clearly_ full of Dark Magic—"

"Miss Weasley should go up to the hospital wing right away," Dumbledore interrupted in a firm voice. "This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort." He strode over to the door and opened it. "Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I find that always cheers me up." He smiled down at Ginny, then looked up. "You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She's just giving out Mandrake juice—I daresay the basilisk's victims will be waking up any moment."

"So Hermione's okay?" Nico asked hopefully.

Dumbledore looked at Ginny again. "There has been no lasting harm done," he said kindly.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley led their daughter out. Nico made to follow, but Dumbledore called him back. "Mr. di Angelo. You and your classmates will each receive Special Awards for Services to the School and—let me see—yes, I think one hundred points apiece for Gryffindor."

"Thank you," Nico said politely but somewhat impatiently. "May I go see Hermione now?"

Dumbledore nodded. "You may."

* * *

Inside the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey was still administering the Mandrake Draught. Ginny was sitting on a bed, hugging her knees and sipping hot chocolate. Her parents were clearly trying to comfort her, but didn't know how.

"I didn't know," Ginny muttered, shivering. "I didn't know, I didn't know, I should have known…"

Nico took pity on her and walked over. "Hey. It could have happened to anyone."

"But it happened to _me_ ," Ginny retorted. "I trusted him, I was so stupid…"

"You were basically starting a new life. It was scary. You wanted someone you could turn to. It was only natural."

"Did _you_ ever release a giant snake and attack Muggle-borns?" Ginny asked bitterly.

"No. I spent half a year hanging on the every word of a ghost who told me I could resurrect my sister. Turned out he was trying to use me to resurrect _himself_ , and he sold me out to an army of monsters. As for how I escaped…well, that's another story."

Mr. Weasley frowned. "No magic can reawaken the dead."

"Oh, it can," Nico said darkly. "But you would be _very_ foolish to try."

"Getting sold out to monsters isn't the same," Ginny said mutinously. "You didn't hurt anyone."

"My father once tricked me into betraying my friend. Dad locked him up and left him to rot. My friend probably would have died if I hadn't broken him out…at which point my friend nearly killed _me_ , and I can't exactly blame him."

"What kind of father would do that?!" Mrs. Weasley asked, aghast.

Nico grimaced. "I could tell you worse stories about him. But my point, Ginny, is that I have some idea how it feels to be used and betrayed by someone you trusted."

"Does it ever stop hurting?" Ginny asked, sniffling.

"Not really. You just learn to live with it. And to be more careful about who you trust." Nico noticed Hermione stirring. "Excuse me."

He walked over to Hermione's bed just as she sat up. "Nico!" she exclaimed. "What happened? Did you get it?"

Nico flung his arms around Hermione, much to her surprise. After a moment, she returned the embrace. "Am I right in guessing that I've been out for a while?"

"Over a month," Nico replied, pulling away. "The basilisk is dead and Tom's diary has been destroyed—he was possessing Ginny, that's how he's been opening the Chamber."

"Sounds like you have a lot to tell me," Hermione concluded.

Nico glanced around the hospital wing. The other students were fully awake and Ron had brought Lockhart to Madam Pomfrey. "Not here," Nico said. "Let's see if Madam Pomfrey will let you leave."

* * *

After several minutes of fussing, Madam Pomfrey finally concluded that Hermione was in perfect health and let her leave with Nico. They went into the nearest empty classroom, and Nico began catching Hermione up to speed.

Several minutes later, they were interrupted by Harry. "Been looking for you, Nico," he said. "I didn't share your secret with Dumbledore, but I want some answers."

Hermione looked at Nico. "Your secret?"

"I was talking to Tom and I let slip that I'm only part human," Nico explained. He turned to Harry. "As for the other half…I take it you haven't heard from Leo?"

"What's Leo got to do with this?" Harry asked. "And where _did_ you take him?"

"He's a half-blood like me," Nico replied. "And seeing as you never take my word for anything, why don't you ask _him_?"

Harry looked skeptical. "Well, according to Fred and George, he's building a flying warship so he can save the world from Dirt Woman. Sounds rather far-fetched to me."

Nico snorted humorlessly. "There was a time when I would have said the same thing about hidden communities of wizards. I assure you, Leo was completely serious. In fact, there may be a way to show you. Come on." He led the way out of the room.

"Where are we going?" Harry demanded.

"I'm going to show you what I normally do in Myrtle's bathroom," Nico answered. Harry shot him a disturbed look. "Don't worry, it doesn't involve typical bathroom activities."

"Good, because that's something I do _not_ need to see," Harry muttered.

* * *

Inside Myrtle's bathroom, Nico turned on a sink and tossed a drachma into the spray. "O Iris, accept my offering," he said. "Show me Leo Valdez."

An image of Leo appeared, tinkering with some sort of device on the _Argo II_ 's quarterdeck. He was intent on his work and did not notice the Iris-message that had appeared next to him.

"Whoa," Harry said, eyes wide. "Leo, _this_ is what you've been doing all term?"

"Aaah!" Leo jumped, dropping his pliers and hitting his head on the mast. "Oh, hi, Harry. How did you manage to do an—ohh, hi Nico. Hi, Hermione! What are you all doing together? Did you guys find the Chamber of Secrets yet?"

"Yeah, we did," Nico replied. "Killed the monster, defeated the Heir, Muggle-borns are safe again. Would you please tell Harry that I didn't kidnap you?"

"Seriously man, give Nico a break," Leo told Harry. "He didn't force me to do anything."

"So…was the bit about saving the world from Dirt Woman true too?" Harry asked hesitantly.

Leo grimaced. "Yep. Wish us luck."

"And you're really only half human?"

" _What?!_ " Leo exclaimed, shocked. "Half—oh, wait, I suppose that's technically true. Heh. I really _am_ like Spock—half Vulcan, half human."

"Half _Vulcan_?" Harry repeated in disbelief.

Nico gave Leo a funny look. "You're Greek. Your dad's not Vulcan."

"Close enough," Leo shrugged. "And you're from the little dwarf planet where everything is cold and dead…wow, that's a really fitting name when you think about it."

Harry looked between Nico and Leo. "Will one of you _please_ make sense?"

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "Their whole world makes absolutely no sense."

"That's the spirit," Leo agreed. "I try not to make sense of it. Every time I do, something tries to kill me."

"Tries to _kill_ you?"

"Yep. Jason's on guard duty right now to make sure no more fire-breathing birds get near the ship. I may be fireproof, but the ship is not."

Harry gaped, apparently at a loss for words. Hermione gave him a sympathetic look. "You know, Harry, it might be better for your sanity if you stop asking questions. Their world is so crazy that Muggle minds can't even process it. And I know I slept easier before I knew about it."

Harry drew a shaky breath. "Maybe you're right. I have enough problems of my own." He looked back at Leo. "Good luck with…whatever you're up to." With that, he hurried out of the room.

"Poor kid," Leo commented. "So, Nico, term's almost over, isn't it? You coming to camp soon?"

"I'll probably head to the Underworld," Nico replied. "Might be able to find the other side of the Doors of Death."

Leo nodded. "Good luck."

"And you." Nico swiped through the connection.

* * *

When Nico and Hermione tried to go back to Gryffindor Tower, they ran into a crowd of pajama-clad Gryffindors on their way to the Great Hall for a celebratory feast. They joined the crowd, and many students enthusiastically greeted Hermione. Down in the Great Hall, students from other houses also greeted her. Hermione had never been so popular.

The feast lasted until nearly dawn. Before dismissing the students, Professor McGonagall announced that exams had been canceled as a school treat. To Nico's surprise, Hermione was relieved by this—now she would have all summer to catch up on the classes she'd missed.

* * *

The rest of the term passed quickly. Thanks to Nico, Harry and Ron's three hundred points, Gryffindor won the House Cup in a landslide. Soon enough, it was time for the journey back to King's Cross. At Nico's request, Chiron sent a letter to Professor McGonagall to persuade her that camp would be a safe place for Nico.

Luna and Ginny joined Nico and Hermione in their compartment. "What's everyone doing this summer?" Luna asked.

"My parents and I take a vacation out of the country every summer," Hermione replied. "We're going to France this year."

"I'll probably just stay at home," Ginny mumbled. "We don't travel much."

"You live just on the other side of Ottery St. Catchpole, don't you?" Luna said curiously. "Maybe you should come over some time. I'd love to show you our Dirigible Plums."

"I'll ask Mum and Dad," Ginny replied. "What about you, Nico? Where do you actually live?"

"Uh…nowhere specific, really. Sometimes I stay with my dad, sometimes with relatives in New York, sometimes with relatives in California…"

Ginny started. "Wait a minute, aren't you and Leo related? Are you going to see him this summer?"

"Yeah, probably."

"Tell him I say hi."

"Will do."

Luna tilted her head, looking at Nico. "If you're a ghost, what does that make Leo?"

Nico blinked. "Uh…a robot, I suppose."

"What's a robot?"

"A mechanical…person…thing…" Nico said awkwardly, caught off guard by the question.

Hermione giggled at his explanation. "Speaking of robots, do you still want to come over and watch Star Wars?"

"Maybe at the end of the summer, if I find time." Nico scratched Vescia's ears, then looked up. "Would you mind looking after Vescia? Trying to keep track of her last summer was a nightmare."

Hermione sobered and stroked the purring kitten. "I wouldn't mind, but I'm not sure how my parents would feel about an undead cat."

"They're Muggles. I don't think they can even see her for what she is. They didn't comment when they saw her in Diagon Alley the day we met."

"Hmm. All right, I'll take her." Hermione picked up Vescia, giving Nico a worried look as if she guessed the real reason he'd asked.

In truth, Nico wasn't worried about having Vescia underfoot; if he died in the war with Gaea, he wanted his cat to have a better home than Hades's palace. As for Hermione, Ginny and Luna…the latter two might not realize it, but their lives depended on Gaea's defeat. Nico had to protect his friends, even if he had to walk through hell to do it. And in order to locate the Doors of Death, he would probably have to do exactly that.

And it would be worth it.

* * *

 **A/N: I do intend to write _Prisoner of Azkaban_ , probably sometime this year, but for the moment I'm doing other stuff. It will be in this same fic, so when I _do_ get around to it, anyone following this will be notified.**


	26. Nico Befriends a Book

**A/N: So, I haven't actually finished _Prisoner of Azkaban_ , but my muse seems to have run off halfway through the year and I can't find it. I've decided to start posting in the hopes that your responses will inspire my muse to come back. So far, I've written up through Christmas third year.**

 **A couple quick notes: first, the events of _Heroes of Olympus_ have occurred without significant departure from canon. However, I will _not_ be following _Trials of Apollo_. Which means that no holographic scroll arrived, and no one has gotten any indication that Leo is alive. He is, but that's all I have to say on the subject right now.**

 **Second, Nico has not come out to anyone since Percy and Annabeth. Will is openly bi and Nico knows it, but they are not in an official relationship and haven't gone beyond general mild flirting.**

 **And to all you copyright law people out there, I still don't own this.**

 **Merry Christmas!**

* * *

Hermione sighed as she looked around her room at the Leaky Cauldron. One more day, and she would finally be going back to school. And at least this time she knew Nico was alive. He'd written regularly throughout August, though she got the distinct impression he wasn't telling her something.

Well, nothing to be gained by worrying about that now. She still needed to buy her school supplies. She petted Vescia, then opened her door and headed back down to the pub.

Downstairs, Tom was handing room keys to three young teens who looked roughly Hermione's age. One was a black girl with cinnamon-colored hair, one was a tan boy with blond hair, and the third…Hermione caught her breath. Nico had always been pale and scrawny, but now he looked like death warmed over.

"Nico!" Hermione exclaimed, rushing over and crushing him in a hug. "What _happened_ to you?"

"Hello to you too," Nico replied, briefly returning the embrace. "And I told you, I had to shadow-travel a giant statue halfway around the world."

The other boy cleared his throat. "He also survived _Tartarus_."

"And spent a week imprisoned in a jar," the girl added, shuddering. "He looked a lot worse when we first freed him, believe me."

"Can we please not talk about that," Nico muttered, a haunted look in his eyes.

"Well, if I'm going to leave you in _her_ care for a year, she needs to know," the boy said, folding his arms. He turned to Hermione. "I assume you're the famous Hermione Granger?"

"Ah…yes," Hermione confirmed. "Famous?"

"The Aphrodite cabin has been gossiping about the girl who sends Nico letters via owl," the boy explained, looking mildly disgruntled. "I'm Will, by the way, Will Solace."

"And I'm Hazel Levesque," the girl introduced, holding out her hand. "Nico speaks very highly of you."

" _You're_ Hazel?" Hermione said in surprise, shaking the other girl's hand.

Hazel frowned. "Yes, why?"

"Nothing, I just…always pictured you looking more like Nico."

"Oh." Hazel glanced at her brother. "I had trouble believing it too, when he first introduced himself. I knew our father was white, but…well, when I was alive the first time, white people were never that nice to me."

"Ah." Hermione had no idea what to say to that. "I'm sorry."

Will cleared his throat again. "Shall we go up to our rooms?"

"Yes, please," Nico agreed. He led the way to the stairs.

Hermione looked at Hazel and Will. "Not that I'm not pleased to meet you, but what are you doing here?"

"He's banned from shadow-traveling until Christmas, at the very least…preferably next summer," Will explained. "We had to fly here, and it's dangerous for demigods to travel alone."

"You…flew?" Hermione repeated, frowning. "I didn't think Zeus liked it when you did that."

"We took pegasi," Nico clarified. "They're creatures of the air, and they have the right to carry demigods if they want. Although Blackjack is the only one who'll actually let me ride him. And only because Percy convinced him."

"And we left them outside the city," Hazel added. "Hard enough hiding our weapons. Didn't want wizards seeing the pegasi and asking questions. Had to take the Underground to get here. _That_ was interesting."

"I still can't believe neither of you had ever ridden a subway before," Will muttered.

"I still can't believe there are giant moles living in the London Underground," Nico grumbled. "Oh, here we are. Rooms 13, 14 and 15."

"Well that's convenient," Hermione commented. "I'm in room 16. Speaking of which, would you like me to get Vescia for you?"

Nico perked up at that. "Sure."

Hermione walked over to her own room and opened the door. The undead kitten immediately raced out of the room and made a bee-line for Room 13. Inside, Nico picked her up and murmured in Italian.

Will appeared in the doorway, smirking. "Boy and puffball reunited, how adorable."

Nico froze. "What are you talking about?"

"You're not the only Italian demigod at camp, you know. I asked Chiara. Apparently, you named your pet zombie ' _Puffball'_."

Hermione choked out a laugh. "Wait, really?"

"Bianca named her," Nico said defensively, red-faced. "And she named the white one 'Snowball'."

"Weren't there three?" Hermione recalled. "Who named the third?"

"…I did."

"And what did you name it?"

"…'Pirate'." Nico's face had gone even redder. "I was six, okay?"

"Oh, no, it's nice to know there was once a time when you acted like an actual child," Hermione said, still amused.

"Okay, that's it," Nico decided, putting Vescia on his bed. "I came here for school supplies, and I'm going to get school supplies. When you're done having a laugh at my expense, you can follow." He marched out of the room.

* * *

Hermione, Will and Hazel caught up to Nico in the courtyard behind the Leaky Cauldron. He was staring at the wall, looking disconcerted. "Do you remember which brick you're supposed to tap?"

"Third to the left above the trash can," Hermione answered, pulling out her wand and tapping it. A hole appeared, quickly widening to reveal the entrance to Diagon Alley.

"Whoa," Will breathed. "Cool."

"There's a _lot_ of treasure under our feet," Hazel noted. "That must be some bank."

"You should see Dad's vault," Nico replied.

"I wonder if _my_ dad has a vault," Will mused. "Treasure would be cool."

"Who's your dad?" Hermione asked.

"Apollo. I'm a healer. And a good thing too, because Nico keeps trying to pretend he's more fine than he is."

"I heard that," Nico complained.

"Well, if you'd follow your doctor's orders, we wouldn't have this problem."

"If you'd stop trying to wrap me up in a giant ball of cotton, maybe I would."

Hazel leaned over to whisper to Hermione. "They've been bickering the whole way here. _Boys_ , honestly."

"At least it seems to be good-natured with them," Hermione replied. "Nico and Harry can be downright nasty to each other."

Hazel frowned. "His people skills really do need work."

"Agreed."

At that moment, they reached the steps of Gringotts. Inside, the three demigods went down to Hades's vault while Hermione changed the Muggle money her parents had given her.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the demigods emerged. For some reason, the goblins looked very glad to be rid of them. Concerned, Hermione approached the trio. "What happened?"

"Money started migrating out of nearby vaults and popping up around me," Hazel explained, looking uncomfortable. "I really hope I didn't curse it."

"Maybe putting stuff back where it belongs will break the effect," Nico suggested.

"I hope so," Hazel murmured, shuddering. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

Back in the Alley, the group went to the apothecary for potion ingredients. Hazel wrinkled her nose at the smell and decided to wait outside. Will kept up a running commentary of medicinal uses despite Nico telling him to shut up.

Next, they went to buy new robes at Madam Malkin's, since both Nico and Hermione had outgrown their old ones. Will seemed very amused by the sight of Nico in his Hogwarts uniform. Nico snapped at him to quit staring, to which Will refused. Hazel and Hermione shared a look of fond exasperation.

After they paid for their robes, they made their way to Flourish and Blotts. A large cage had been set up in the window, containing several dozen books that snapped and tore at each other. Hermione consulted her book list. "I guess that must be _The Monster Book of Monsters_."

"And here you talked me into taking that class because supposedly it would have less reading," Nico grumbled. They entered the shop.

The manager immediately hurried up to them. "Care of Magical Creatures?"

"Yes," Hermione confirmed.

"Out of the way." The manager put on a pair of thick gloves, picked up a large walking stick, and went to the cage. With difficulty, he managed to extract a book and hand it to Hermione. He gave a second to Nico, then began attempting to catch a third.

"None for us," Will said hurriedly. "Hazel and I don't go to Hogwarts."

"Oh, thank god," the manager breathed, heaving a sigh of relief. "What else do you need?"

"Uh…do you have anything to keep these shut?" Hermione asked, struggling with her book.

"Just stroke the spine," Nico told her, putting his now-docile book in his bag.

The manager stared at him. "Wait…what?"

"Has…has no one figured that out before?" Nico said in disbelief. "I mean…you just…I assumed we were supposed to make friends with the book."

"You," Will said flatly. "Decided to make friends. With a book."

"Poor thing's been locked up in a cage for days. I…well…can relate." Nico looked at the floor.

The manager looked like he wanted to ask about that, then changed his mind. "Any other books you need?"

"Yes." Hermione consulted her booklist again. "Two copies of _Spellman's Syllabary_ , _Intermediate Transfiguration_ , and _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three_. And a copy of _Numerology and Grammatica_ for me."

"And if you have any of those in Ancient Greek, that would be great," Nico added.

"I don't believe we do, but I'll look," the manager replied. "Looking for an extra challenge, are we?"

"Uh…sure," Nico lied.

The manager went to fetch the books. Sadly, there were no Ancient Greek copies he could give Nico. Nico and Hermione paid for their books, then led the way back into the Alley.

"Need anything else?" Nico prompted.

Hermione checked her purse. "I've still got ten Galleons. It's my birthday in a few weeks, and my parents gave me some money to buy myself an early present."

"Oh, what are you thinking of getting?" Hazel asked.

"I think I'd like a cat. Caring for Vescia all summer made me realize how nice it is to have a pet."

"I don't think the puffball is a very good representation of the feline species," Will warned. "Living cats aren't always that friendly."

"I know," Hermione replied, shooting him a look of mild annoyance. "A living cat would also be warmer. And…well, no offense to Vescia, but a living cat would look nicer."

"So, to the Magical Menagerie," Nico concluded. He fumbled in his money bag and pulled out a few Galleons. "Here. My contribution. Happy early birthday."

"Thanks." Hermione took the money and led the way down the street.

Hazel sighed and shook her head at Nico. "You know nothing of girls and proper gift-giving."

"Hermione didn't seem to mind," Will noted. "Besides, it's not like they're _together_ …right?"

"How many times do I have to tell you we're not?" Nico responded, annoyed.

"Are you sure about that?" Hazel asked.

"Yes."

"Is _she_ sure about that?"

" _Yes!_ "

"I can hear you, you know," Hermione cut in. "And yes, I _am_ sure that Nico and I are not a couple and I'm perfectly fine with that."

"Oh. Okay, then," Will said, sounding considerably friendlier.

They had reached the Magical Menagerie. "Hazel and I should probably stay outside," Nico suggested. "No need to rile up the animals. Besides, Harry's in there."

"Well, _I'd_ like to see this place," Will decided. He opened the door. "After you, almost-birthday girl."

Nico and Hazel were left standing outside in the sunlight. "So, um, about Will…" Nico began, working up his nerve.

"Don't know why he seems to think Hermione is so bad for you," Hazel grumbled. "She's a perfectly wonderful person. And the two of you _would_ be cute together."

"Well, actually, about that…"

Before Nico could finish his sentence, the door burst open and two people came charging out. One of them tripped over Hazel's foot and grabbed Nico to regain his balance, only to immediately yell in pain and clutch his forehead.

"Ow!" Harry exclaimed. "What the hell?"

"Watch where you're going," Nico grumbled. "And don't touch me, or that'll probably happen again."

Harry lowered his hand and scowled. "Oh, it's you." He eyed Nico up and down. "You look terrible."

"Thanks," Nico said flatly.

"Did you see which way Scabbers went?" Ron cut in.

"The rat? I think it jumped into Nico's bag," Hazel offered.

"Wait, what?" Nico reached into his bag and pulled out the squirming rat. "What's he doing in my bag?"

"Hiding from that bloody cat," Ron replied, taking back his rat.

Nico shook his head. "No, no, no, you don't understand. What was he doing in _my_ bag? Animals hate me."

"I'm pretty Scabbers hates cats more than he hates you," Ron responded. "At least _your_ beast doesn't chase him."

At that moment, Will emerged from the shop, holding a small red bottle. "You forgot your rat tonic."

"Oh. Thanks." Ron took the bottle. "Uh…who are you?"

"Will Solace. I'm, uh…a friend of Nico's."

Hazel offered her hand. "And I'm his sister, Hazel Levesque."

"His…sister," Harry repeated in disbelief, not shaking her hand.

"Half-sister," Hazel clarified with a sigh.

"Mind if I have a look at that rat?" Will offered. "I'm a healer, maybe I can help."

"You're what, our age?" Ron said skeptically.

"Fourteen. And I pretty much run the infirmary back home."

"Well…okay," Ron said hesitantly. He held out Scabbers, but kept a firm grip on his pet.

Will gently ran his hands over the rat, examining him. "Hmm. Stressed. _Very_ stressed about something. And missing a finger…toe! Missing a toe." Will frowned, and Scabbers struggled away from him. "What kind of rat _is_ this?"

"Just an ordinary rat," Ron replied, putting Scabbers in his pocket.

"You sure?" Will prodded, unconvinced.

"Positive." The door to the shop opened again, and Ron's jaw dropped. "You _bought_ that monster?"

Hermione was holding a fluffy ginger cat with a rather squashed and grumpy-looking face. "He's _gorgeous_ , isn't he?"

"That thing nearly scalped me!" Ron complained.

"He didn't mean to, did you, Crookshanks?" Hermione cooed.

"Well keep that thing away from Scabbers!" Ron snapped, storming away down the street. Harry followed.

"Nice cat," Hazel commented. Crookshanks hissed at her.

"Now, now, Crookshanks, Hazel is a friend," Hermione scolded. "Nico too."

Crookshanks shot her a look that clearly suggested he thought she was crazy.

"I know they smell like death, but they won't hurt you. Can you say hello?"

Crookshanks sniffed and licked a paw.

Will held out his hand. "What do _I_ smell like, Crookshanks? Sunshine? Medicine? Quivers? Music?"

"How could you smell like music?" Nico objected.

"Good point," Will agreed. "Do I smell like ultrasonic whistling?"

Nico snorted with laughter. " _Don't_ do that here, please. You'll break all the windows."

Hermione stared at Nico, wondering if she'd really just heard him laugh. "Have I walked into the Twilight Zone?"

Nico and Hazel both looked confused. "What's the Twilight Zone?" Hazel asked.

Will shook his head. "Man, I keep forgetting you two are _way_ behind on your pop culture. The Twilight Zone is where very weird stuff happens."

Nico frowned. "What could be weirder than our lives?"

"…you know, that's a good question," Will conceded.

Nico and Hazel shared a baffled look, then Nico shrugged. "Come on, let's go back to the Leaky Cauldron."

* * *

That night, Fred and George marched up to the demigods and Hermione while they were eating dinner. "Where's Leo?" George demanded. "We haven't heard from him since June."

Will, Nico and Hazel shared a horrified look. "Uh…are you Leo's foster brothers?" Will asked nervously.

"Yes," Fred said warily. "What's going on? Where's Leo?"

"You didn't tell them?" Hazel hissed incredulously at Nico.

"I thought Chiron informed all the families!" Nico hissed back.

Hazel sighed and turned back to the twins, tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry. Leo died."

"W-what?" George stuttered. "What happened?"

"He saved the world," Nico said quietly. "At the cost of his life."

The twins were silent for nearly a minute, their faces cycling through various emotions. Fred eventually settled on anger, glaring at Nico. " _You._ You took him away. You got him killed!"

"Don't think the thought hasn't crossed my mind," Nico said darkly. "But if it weren't for him, we'd _all_ be dead."

"If you're going to blame anyone, blame me," Hazel added, her voice choked with emotion. "He planned his own death…and I helped."

" _What?!_ " George exclaimed, shocked. "Why?!"

"He told me…I thought…well, it doesn't matter now. He's gone." Hazel shook with suppressed sobs.

Nico patted her on the shoulder. "Some things are worth dying for. You know that better than anyone."

George swallowed. "Just…just answer one question. Was there fire?"

"Massive explosion," Nico replied. "Why?"

"Fiery death," Hermione whispered. "The Divination teacher told Leo he was going to die a fiery death."

"I will never mock Professor Trelawney again," Fred murmured, looking stricken.

"I really am sorry," Hazel said, crying now.

"As am I," Nico added. "If I'd known…no, I won't lie, I still would have taken him to camp. This was bigger than him. Bigger than any of us."

"Nico damn near killed himself too," Will chimed in. "And worse."

"Worse?" George repeated warily.

"Don't, just…don't," Nico pleaded, putting his head in his hands. "Leo Valdez died a hero. That's the important thing."

Fred took in Nico's haggard appearance, and he deflated somewhat. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted at you. Just…I'll miss him."

"A moment of silence," George suggested. "For our fallen friend."

They all bowed their heads, thinking of Leo Valdez and all the good he'd brought to their lives.


	27. Hermione Discovers Gatorade

**A/N: Back to our regular Saturday update schedule...**

* * *

In the morning, the Leaky Cauldron was full of red-eyed Weasleys going up and down the stairs with school supplies, toiletries and half-eaten breakfasts. Nico tried to hide in his room to finish packing, but eventually he had to leave to look for Vescia.

He found her snuggling with a distraught Ginny near the back of the pub. "Uh…hi," Nico said. "May I have my cat, please?"

"Oh. Sure," Ginny sniffled. She picked up Vescia and handed her to Nico. "It's just so unfair. Leo will never get to pet any animal ever again. Or play any pranks. Or show Dad how Muggle objects work. Or invent devices to de-gnome the garden…"

"He's in a better place," Nico said, swallowing. At least, he hoped that was true; he'd found it frustratingly difficult to sense anything beyond the fact that Leo Valdez had definitely died.

"You can't know that," Ginny said despairingly. "No one can really know that."

Nico sighed and sat next to her. "Want to know a secret? I _can_ know that. I'm special that way."

"Really," Ginny said flatly, not sounding convinced.

"Really," Nico said seriously. "There's a place, a beautiful place, for those who earn it. And Leo definitely earned it."

Ginny searched his face. "You really, truly believe that? With all your heart?"

"I _know_ it. I mean it, I promise."

Ginny sighed and scratched Vescia's ears. "I miss him."

"And I'm sure he misses you." Nico dropped his gaze. "I…I didn't know him all that well, but I know he cared deeply about his friends. And his family."

Ginny smiled sadly. "Thanks. I, uh…I should finish packing. See you later."

"See you."

* * *

Five minutes later, the demigods were prepared to leave. Hermione was surprised by this. "Bit early, isn't it?" she said. "The train doesn't leave for another three hours."

"We're allowing time for monster attacks," Hazel explained. "Hopefully we won't have any, but no need to tempt the Fates."

"And you might want to travel separately," Nico added. "Just in case."

"All right," Hermione agreed. Then something occurred to her. "Wait a minute, I just realized…I'm not sure they'll let me take Crookshanks on the bus."

"Here." Hazel twitched her fingers, and suddenly Crookshanks' basket looked like a duffel bag. "No one will question you now."

"Uh…thanks." Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Illusions are a power of Pluto?"

"Manipulating the Mist is a power of Hecate, actually. For some reason, she's taken an interest in me."

"Ah."

"Which means Hazel's powers work much better than my magic," Nico grumbled. "Hecate _chose_ to bless Hazel."

Hermione frowned. "Wait, what?"

"Oh, didn't I ever mention?" Nico continued sourly. "I wasn't born a wizard. Dad coerced Hecate into giving me wizard powers after I stumbled into the Leaky Cauldron that first time. And _then_ he put my name on the list of potential Hogwarts students and manipulated the Mist to make sure the teachers wouldn't question my sudden appearance. Apparently, he didn't like me roaming around where monsters could get me. Worried I might not reach sixteen, and then who would he pin his hopes on?" Nico rolled his eyes.

Will gave him a curious look. "How'd your dad _coerce_ Hecate?"

"You saw what he did to the Oracle. Do you really want me to answer that question?"

"Uh…no. Never mind. No, I don't."

"Didn't think so." Nico turned back to Hermione. "Anyway, see you at the station."

* * *

When Hermione got on a bus later that morning, the driver warned that they would have to take a detour due to a crashed bank transport along the route. She wondered if the demigods had had anything to do with that.

* * *

Hermione reached King's Cross with plenty of time to spare. She was just about to go through the barrier onto Platform 9 ¾ when she heard someone call out her name behind her. The demigods had arrived, Hazel with a bloody rip in her sleeve.

"Told you she'd beat us here," Will said to Nico.

"I never argued," Nico retorted.

Hazel rolled her eyes, then looked at the barrier. "We just…run through the wall?" she asked uncertainly.

"Yes," Hermione confirmed. She glanced around to make sure no Muggles were watching. "Here, I'll show you." She took a deep breath and ran through the barrier.

The demigods quickly joined her. Hazel removed the illusion from Crookshanks' basket, then they went to go find a compartment. Will insisted on carrying Nico's trunk, much to the latter's annoyance. He stowed it in the first empty compartment they found, then reached for Hermione's and put it next to Nico's.

"Right. That's settled, then." Will turned to Hermione and adopted a very serious look. "Now, a few rules for dealing with Death Boy here—"

"Don't call me Death Boy," Nico complained.

"First of all, he's banned from using his Underworld powers," Will continued, as if Nico hadn't spoken. "He'll melt into a puddle of darkness if he tries anything, and don't let him convince you otherwise."

"And if there's a life-or-death situation?" Nico challenged.

"You've got a sword. You know how to use it. You'll manage." Will looked at Hermione again. "Second, _when_ he disobeys orders and gets himself into trouble, you'll need this." He handed a flask to Hermione. "Unicorn draught. Almost as effective as nectar and ambrosia, without the risk of spontaneous combustion."

"Spontaneous combustion would be bad," Hermione agreed.

"And if he starts fading again—"

"Fading?" Hermione repeated worriedly.

"If it happens, you'll know what I mean. Hopefully, it won't." Will pulled out a bottle of some neon blue liquid. "If he starts fading, give him this."

"Uh…okay." Hermione took the bottle. "What is it?"

"Gatorade," Will replied. "Marvelous properties for anchoring the soul to the mortal world." Hermione stared at him in disbelief, but his expression betrayed no trace of any joke.

"Okay, then." Hermione opened her trunk and put the unicorn draught and Gatorade inside. "Anything else?"

"No, I think that's it. If things get _really_ bad, let me know and I'll come out there."

"I will. Well, hopefully I won't, but if the need arises, I will."

Hazel laughed. "We get it. I'm sure you'll take good care of my brother."

"It's like I've got three mothers now," Nico grumbled.

"Good." Hazel kissed him on the cheek. "Have a good year. Stay in touch."

"Yeah," Will agreed, suddenly sounding awkward. "Um…what she said. Have a good year. Follow your doctor's orders. Drop me a line every now and then."

"I will." Nico swallowed, looking nervous. "I, uh…I'll miss you." He hesitated, glancing at Hermione and Hazel. Then he leaned forward and kissed Will full on the mouth.

It was hard to say who looked more surprised, Will or Hazel. Will had gone an interesting shade of red and stared at Nico as if he'd never seen him before. Hazel staggered backwards and fell into a seat.

"I think the boys need a moment alone," Hermione suggested hurriedly. She grabbed Hazel's arm and pulled the other girl out into the corridor, closing the door behind them.

As soon as the door latched, reality crashed into Nico. Like his sister, he staggered and sat down. "Did…did I just do that?"

Will sat next to him and took his hand. "Well, thanks for clearing up whether or not you like me back. It's been driving me nuts."

"You're…you're welcome." Nico stared blankly at the opposite wall.

"Whoa…hey. Hey!" Will cupped Nico's chin and turned the latter to face him. "Breathe. I like you. You like me. This is a good thing."

"Er…yeah." Nico swallowed. "Does this make us…um, a couple now?"

"If you want it to."

"I think I…yeah. I'd like that."

"That's settled, then." Will leaned forward to kiss Nico again, longer and harder.

Eventually, Nico pulled away, slightly out of breath. "I really hope Hazel doesn't hate me now…"

"She's your sister, she loves you," Will said soothingly. "But we can go find out."

* * *

Meanwhile, Hazel was still in shock. "What…he…what?" she said weakly. "Did he just…"

"Look, Hazel, I know you probably grew up hearing that that's despicable and immoral, but times have changed," Hermione said urgently. "And really, it's just love. Love is love, no matter your gender."

"Love," Hazel whispered. "He…and Will…in love."

"He's probably heard horrible things about it, too," Hermione continued. "It must have taken an incredible amount of trust for him to do that in front of us. Don't betray that trust, all right? He doesn't need to lose another sister."

"Right, he…right." Hazel swallowed. "I suppose it's no stranger than computers…or cell phones…or dying and being resurrected…"

"He's still your brother," Hermione said seriously.

"Right," Hazel said again, her voice slightly stronger. "My brother. The only reason I'm even here. If he can give me a second life, I can accept him having a, uh…kissing…Will." She stared into space, then started. "Oh gods, he was trying to tell me that yesterday, and I kept interrupting him to say he should get together with _you_ …"

"No thanks. I care about him, but not like that. He's more like the brother I never had."

Hazel managed a small smile. "He does make a good brother, doesn't he."

At that moment, the door opened to reveal Nico and Will, now hand-in-hand. "So…hi," Will said. "We're together now."

"Good," Hermione replied, smiling. She nudged Hazel.

Hazel took a deep breath. "If you're happy, Nico, I'm happy."

"Thanks." Nico pulled his hand out of Will's, shooting a nervous look at a group of students farther down the corridor. "Thanks, sis, that means a lot."

Hazel surged forward and crushed him in a hug. "You'll always be my brother, Nico, okay?" she whispered in his ear. "Always."

"Love you too."

Hermione cleared her throat. "I hate to break up this touching moment, but Will and Hazel should probably head out soon. You're getting some odd looks."

"Right." Hazel let go of her brother. "Be safe."

"And you."

"You _definitely_ need to write to me," Will said sternly. He turned to Hermione. "And if you break him, I'll end you."

"You break his heart, I end _you_ ," Hermione replied, unfazed.

Will nodded. "Fair. Nice meeting you."

"Nice meeting you too."

Will flashed one more smile at Nico, then he and Hazel disembarked from the train. Nico and Hermione returned to the compartment and sat down.

Nico awkwardly cleared his throat. "So, um…you didn't seem very surprised."

"He made you _laugh_ yesterday, Nico. In the two years I've known you, no one else has ever managed that."

"…he's a _guy_ ," Nico pointed out, his voice small.

"Nico, you're my best friend. I figured out you were gay a long time ago. I've been waiting ages for you to come out."

Nico managed to turn even paler. "What…is it that obvious?"

Hermione shook her head. "I don't think so. I was simply paying attention. I noticed that you tend to be a lot more short-tempered with guys than with girls, and I'd been trying to wrap my head around it. Then one day I caught you staring at one of the Hufflepuff boys. A few moments later, you snapped out of it and looked really aggravated. That's when I got the idea that maybe you were gay but hadn't come to terms with it yet. The more I watched, the more likely it seemed. Especially with Lockhart last year. You tried to hide it, but I could tell you found him just as attractive as…uh…as the girls did."

Nico raised his eyebrows. "You mean _you_ did."

"Oh shut up," Hermione murmured, blushing.

Nico sobered again. "Well, thanks. When…when I first realized…I never imagined _anyone_ would be okay with it. Including myself."

"Fascist Italy," Hermione said quietly. "I don't blame you."

"Yeah." Nico swallowed. "Jason kept telling me things are different now. It took a while for me to really believe him."

"Jason?"

Nico shuddered. "Cupid made me tell him."

Hermione gasped. "That's…that's just _wrong_."

Nico grimaced. "Gods aren't necessarily good. Just better than the alternatives."

Hermione nodded. "From what I've read, I believe that."

Nico stared out the window at the increasingly-crowded platform. "Don't tell anyone else about me, okay? I'm not ready for everyone to know."

Hermione smiled at him. "I've kept your secret this long, I can keep it as long as you want."

* * *

 **A/N: It's been my headcanon all along that demigods are _not_ automatically wizards. Leo just happened to be born a wizard. Hades blackmailing Hecate into making Nico a wizard has always been part of the story, but it's taken me until now to find a way to work that into the fic.  
**

 **And for the record, the Hufflepuff that Hermione caught Nico staring at was Cedric Diggory.**


	28. Luna Still Thinks Nico Is a Ghost

**A/N: Warning, this chapter contains some rather dark flashbacks.**

* * *

The train was rapidly filling up now. Soon, Neville came to Nico and Hermione's compartment. "Hello. How was…" He trailed off, giving Nico a worried look. "I was going to say 'how was your summer', but just by looking at you I can guess the answer is 'horrible'."

"Sounds about right," Nico agreed. "Having a pretty good morning so far, though."

"Well that's good." Neville stowed his trunk and turned to Hermione. "You?"

"Pretty good. Took a long vacation to France. They have some very interesting history of witchcraft, and I ended up rewriting my whole History of Magic essay to include some of the things I learned. I hope it's not too long, it's two rolls of parchment more than Professor Binns asked for."

Nico rolled his eyes and turned to Neville. "Can you believe I had to talk her out of taking _all_ the electives at once?"

Neville snorted. "Yeah, I can believe it."

Someone knocked on the open door of their compartment. "May I join you?" Luna asked brightly.

"Sure," Nico said with a shrug.

Luna stowed her trunk and sat down. "You look terrible, Nico, when did you last drain a life force?"

Neville and Hermione both stared at her. "Drain a life force?" Neville said blankly.

"Inside joke," Nico muttered. "I'm fine, really." The train began moving.

Luna eyed him critically. "How long has it been since you last returned from the Land of the Dead?"

Nico blinked, then shrugged. "Over two months."

Hermione leaned over to whisper to Nico. "She knows?!"

"No, she thinks I'm a very strange kind of ghost and I saw little point in trying to convince her otherwise," Nico whispered back.

Neville gave Nico a thoughtful look. "You _do_ look kinda like you took a trip through the Land of the Dead."

At that moment, Ginny flounced into the compartment and sat by Luna. "May I sit here, or are you going to tell me to go away too?"

"Uh…by all means, sit here," Neville said, sounding slightly confused.

"Thank you. Apparently, Harry and Ron have private _boy_ things to discuss," Ginny grumbled. Nico made a funny face at that.

"How was Egypt?" Neville asked.

"Egypt?" Nico repeated, confused.

"You haven't seen the _Prophet_?" Neville said, surprised. "The Weasleys won the Grand Prize Galleon Draw and took a trip to Egypt."

"My brother Bill works as a curse-breaker for Gringotts there," Ginny explained. "The ancient Egyptians put all sorts of curses on their tombs to protect their treasure. Mum wouldn't even let me in some of the tombs. Ron said there were mutant skeletons with extra heads and things like that."

"Interesting." Nico wondered what it would be like to raise legions of two-headed skeletons to fight for him. A voice in his head that sounded very much like Will told him not to try it.

Hermione started. "Wait, Nico, did I ever tell you about Sirius Black?"

"No?"

"Oh boy," Neville muttered. "How much do you know about Black?"

"Absolutely nothing. Never heard of him."

"He was You-Know-Who's right-hand man. The day after You-Know-Who disappeared, another wizard cornered Black in the street, and Black blew him up. The wizard, _and_ twelve nearby Muggles."

Hermione shuddered. "Thirteen people with one curse."

"Ah." That wasn't exactly the most disturbing story Nico had ever heard, but he supposed he ought to react somehow. "If that was back when You-Know-Who first disappeared, why is it a big deal now?"

"Because Black broke out of Azkaban," Ginny explained, looking slightly unnerved. "He's the first person _ever_ to break out, and no one knows how he did it. It's been a month now, and they _still_ haven't caught him. Dad's been pulled off his regular job at the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office to help with the search."

"They even warned the Muggles about him," Neville added.

"Father thinks Black is innocent," Luna said suddenly.

Three heads turned to gape at her. "What?" Hermione said succinctly.

"He was the first Black in centuries _not_ to be sorted into Slytherin," Luna continued. "Why would _he_ be You-Know-Who's right-hand man?"

"Luna, there were _witnesses_ ," Ginny said flatly.

"Hallucinations," Luna said blandly.

"People don't always see what they think they see," Nico mused.

"Tell that to the families of the thirteen people," Neville grumbled. "I heard that the wizard was an old school friend of Black's. Didn't even make him hesitate."

Nico shrugged. It still wasn't the worst story he'd ever heard.

"Oh my goodness, Crookshanks!" Hermione said suddenly. She stood up and undid the straps on Crookshanks' basket. "You poor thing, I didn't mean to keep you cooped up so long."

Crookshanks purred at her, then narrowed his eyes at Nico and Vescia. Vescia bounded over to sniff him, eliciting a hiss from Crookshanks.

"Crookshanks, be nice," Hermione scolded.

Vescia cocked her head and meowed. Crookshanks growled.

"Uh…shouldn't we separate them before there's a cat fight?" Ginny said nervously.

Nico shrugged. "Eh. Vescia's pretty much indestructible, and if she hasn't attacked Crookshanks already, she's not going to hurt him."

As if to prove his point, Vescia licked Crookshanks' cheek. Crookshanks leaped away and clung to Luna, staring at Vescia.

"Aren't you a handsome fellow," Luna cooed, petting Crookshanks.

Crookshanks settled down somewhat, still looking disconcerted. Vescia whined, apparently disappointed that Crookshanks wouldn't make friends with her.

* * *

Conversation continued, occasionally punctuated with laughter at Vescia's attempts to befriend Crookshanks. After the witch with the sweet cart stopped by, rain began to fall. It grew heavier as the afternoon wore on, until it was nearly impossible for anyone but Nico to see out the window.

Eventually, conversation turned to Hogsmeade village. "So, are you guys excited to visit Hogsmeade this year?" Neville asked Hermione and Nico.

"We get to visit Hogsmeade this year?" Nico said, surprised.

Neville stared at him, then shook his head. "Don't you get _any_ mail over the summer?"

"There was something else with my booklist, but I didn't really look at it," Nico admitted.

"Third years and up can visit Hogsmeade village on select weekends," Hermione explained. "That is, if a parent or guardian signs your permission slip. I, uh…don't suppose you got permission."

"Never asked. I suppose I _could_ try asking Chi—er, the camp director. He's about the closest thing I have to a legal guardian." Nico opened his trunk and dug through it. Then he pulled out a piece of parchment, and his face went slack.

"Something wrong?" Ginny asked, concerned.

"My…my dad signed this," Nico said, stunned. "What…when…why…huh?!"

"Why are you so surprised?" Luna asked curiously. "Doesn't your father love you?"

Nico sat back down again. "We have a _very_ complicated relationship…"

Neville frowned. "Clearly, if he's not your legal guardian."

"I hope Dumbledore doesn't actually look at these," Nico muttered under his breath. He didn't fancy explaining why his form was signed by 'Hades' in Ancient Greek. His father _had_ said he wanted Nico to be happy, but Nico had never expected him to make any effort to actually help with that.

At that moment, the train began slowing down. Hermione frowned and checked her watch. "We can't be there yet."

"So why're we stopping?" Neville wondered.

"Maybe we hit a nest of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks," Luna suggested.

"I don't think so, somehow," Hermione grumbled. She stood up and opened the door to look into the corridor. At that moment, the train jolted to a stop. Luna's trunk fell off the rack and nearly hit Neville on the head. Then, without warning, all the lamps went out, plunging the train into total darkness.

"What's happening?" Ginny asked, sounding frightened.

"Maybe we've broken down?" Neville suggested.

"Nico, are you doing this?" Hermione whispered.

"No," Nico whispered back. "At least, I don't think so…oh no." He pressed his face to the window. "Oh no, there are creatures coming on board…"

"Creatures?" Ginny repeated in a high-pitched voice.

"Should have realized the train wasn't safe," Nico muttered. He stood up and headed to the door.

"Where are you going?" Neville hissed.

"They're probably coming for me," Nico replied.

Luna tugged him back into his seat. "So don't go looking for them! Stay where we can protect you!"

" _I'm_ trying to protect _you_!"

"By sacrificing yourself?" Ginny said, sounding hurt. "Please don't. Besides, what makes you so sure they're coming for _you_?"

"Monsters usually do…"

Nico trailed off as the door slid open. A cloaked figure hovered in the doorway, its face completely hidden underneath its hood. The only part of the creature that was visible was its hand—a glistening, grayish, dead-looking appendage that would not have been out of place among the security ghouls of Erebus.

Moments later, the hand retracted into the folds of the black cloak. The creature drew a long, slow, rattling breath that sucked the warmth from the room. For a moment, Hermione faintly heard a taunt from one of her old Muggle classmates, but then another voice replaced it. A young, American, and very familiar voice…

" _You promised you would protect her," Nico said stiffly._

" _Nico," an older boy said, sounding upset. "I tried. But Bianca gave herself up to save the rest of us. I told her not to. But she—"_

" _You promised!" Nico shouted. His voice broke. "I shouldn't have trusted you. You lied to me. My nightmares were right!"_

" _Wait. What nightmares?"_

" _I hate you!"_

" _She might be alive," the other boy said desperately. "I don't know for sure—"_

" _She's dead." Nico spoke with a finality born of utter certainty._

A silver light came rushing down the corridor and pushed the creature away, ending the voices from the past. Moments later, a tired-looking man appeared in the doorway, holding a handful of flames. "Is everyone all right?"

"I-I think so," Neville stammered. "What _was_ that?"

"A dementor," the man answered. "One of the guards of Azkaban. It was searching the train for Sirius Black."

"So, _not_ looking for Nico…oh no." Luna trailed off as the lights came back on to reveal Nico lying on the floor, unconscious. Despite the bright light overhead, he seemed to be enveloped in shadows.

"Did anyone else hear that?" Ginny asked uncertainly. "Those…those voices?"

"Dementors force us to relive our worst memories," the man said gently, shooting a worried look at Nico.

Ginny shook her head. "But that wasn't _my_ memory. That…that was Nico's."

Neville nodded. "I heard it too."

"And me," Luna chimed in.

"All of us," Hermione said worriedly. "Is that…is that normal?"

The man frowned. "No, it is not. I have never heard of dementors forcing people to relive the memories of the people around them."

"Bianca…that was his sister's name, wasn't it?" Neville mused.

"Yes," Hermione confirmed, kneeling at Nico's side. She tried to shake him awake, but found herself plunged into another memory instead.

" _I—I wasn't in love with Annabeth," Nico admitted, the confession tearing something deep within him._

" _You were jealous of her," Jason stated. "That's why you didn't want to be around her. Especially why you didn't want to be around…him. It makes total sense."_

 _Nico finally let the skeletons crumble, knowing they could not fight this battle for him. "I hated myself. I hated Percy Jackson."_

 _Cupid became visible—a harsh-looking man whose red eyes gleamed with satisfaction._

" _I had a crush on Percy," Nico spat. "That's the truth. That's the big secret." He glared at Cupid. "Happy now?"_

Hermione jerked back to the train, shaken. Even after what had happened that morning, she felt as if she'd just intruded on something very private.

"Did…did you guys see that?" Neville asked uncertainly.

Hermione froze. Had Nico's secret just been revealed to the entire compartment?

"I _knew_ he should have drained some life forces," Luna said worriedly. "He's losing his physical form."

 _Oh._ Hermione looked back at Nico and suddenly registered that her hand had passed right through him. She could faintly see the floor underneath him.

The man was staring at Nico. "I…I have never heard of this happening. Ever."

"He's fading," Hermione realized. "Will warned me about this." She stood up and accidentally nudged Nico with her foot.

 _Nico came to again, now down to one pomegranate seed. One more day, and then there would be nothing to stop him from suffocating. He reached for his sword to scratch another mark on the inside of the jar, then realized his sword was missing. Where had it gone?_

 _Nothing he could do about that now. He forced himself to pop the last seed in his mouth. It tasted sour, just like the others. He wondered if it was really worth the trouble. How would anyone find him, if Hazel couldn't track his sword? It would be quicker just to die now…_

 _But he couldn't afford to do that. He_ had _to tell someone about the Doors. He had to hold on for as long as possible._

 _He wondered if it would hurt. Out of all the ways he'd imagined dying, suffocation had never made the list._

Hermione jerked back to the present, swallowing. "Right. Nobody touch him, understand? I've got something that might help…"

The others watched in what seemed to be horrified fascination as Hermione dug through her trunk for the bottle of Gatorade. Once she'd retrieved it, she sat at Nico's side and opened the bottle. Try as she might, no amount of nudging with the bottle would get him to open his mouth. She reluctantly steeled herself and tried to use her hand to force it open; luckily, it worked.

" _Why…why don't you just kill me?" Nico asked hoarsely, trying to ignore the ropes digging into his arms and the heartbeat of Tartarus under his feet._

 _The giant smirked. "Now, that would be too easy. You're on your third incarnation, did you know that? Can't have you going to the Isles of the Blessed before Alcyoneus has a chance to make his modifications."_

 _Nico had no idea whether he had really been reborn twice. He decided not to dwell on that. "Hazel will defeat Alcyoneus."_

" _Oh, I doubt that, boy. He's had many years to plot his vengeance against your wayward sister. He has devised so many_ exquisite _tortures for her…perhaps we'll make you watch. And your father too, of course. He can deny it to the other gods, but I think we both know he_ arranged _for you to bring Hazel back to the mortal world." The giant tutted. "Naughty, naughty, Hades. Defying your own laws. The three of you will be the first souls condemned to the new Fields of Punishment."_

" _All I did was give Hazel a second chance," Nico rasped defiantly. "It's not like_ we _chained Thanatos and forced open the Doors of Death."_

 _The giant shook his head. "You know the rules, child of Hades. You will pay dearly for your crime. After all, our armies need entertainment while they await their chance to go through the Doors. And after that…well, your other friends will require bait. You can get them all killed. Won't that be fun?"_

 _Nico glared at the giant, hoping to kill him with pure hatred. Sadly, it didn't work._

 _The giant suddenly clapped his hands. "I have an idea!" he said, sounding delighted. "Let's build his prison in the Cocytus!"_

 _Nico suddenly found himself hauled to his feet and then tossed into a river of glittering black liquid. Hopelessness flooded through him. He couldn't breathe, but that hardly seemed to matter. Why should he bother getting air? It would just mean he'd live longer so the giants could devise new ways to torment him. Better to end it now…_

 _Something hauled him upright so that his face was out of the water. Against his will, he took in great gulps of air. Even the sweet escape of drowning was not permitted him. He was doomed to an eternity of suffering…_

Hermione finally snapped out of it. Nico seemed to be fully solid again; she could no longer see the floor underneath him. She capped the bottle of Gatorade and just barely had time to turn away before she vomited.

* * *

 **A/N: Just in case anyone's wondering why the dementors made Nico start fading...their powers are extraordinarily similar to Nico's. They suck all the light and warmth out of the area, just like Nico does when he's upset. For Nico, being around a dementor is rather similar to suffering an overload of his own power.**


	29. Harry Nearly Pokes Nico

Nico stirred. "Bianca?"

Hermione shook her head. "Hermione," she said hoarsely.

Nico sat up and clutched her arm, a haunted look in his eyes. "Bianca, don't leave me!"

"I'm sorry," Hermione whispered hollowly.

Nico finally seemed to regain his bearings. He tried to climb back onto the seat, but slid down to the floor again.

"Here, have some chocolate," the man offered, handing a large chunk to Nico. He then passed more chocolate around. "All of you."

"Thanks," Neville said, staring at Nico.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to have a word with the driver," the man continued, shooting another worried look at Nico.

"Who are you?" Ginny asked.

"Remus Lupin, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," the man answered, smiling thinly. With that, he left.

"What…what happened?" Nico asked weakly. He tried to eat the chocolate, but didn't seem to be able to lift it.

"A dementor," Neville explained. "One of the guards of Azkaban. Looking for Sirius Black, _not_ you." He swallowed. "It made us all relive the moment you found out your sister was dead."

"W-what?" Nico tried again to sit up, without success. Hermione crouched next to him and offered him the flask of unicorn draught. He drank.

"You sounded very upset," Luna said serenely. "I'm sorry about your sister."

"Uh…thanks," Nico replied, disconcerted.

"We didn't hear anything that gave away who you are," Hermione whispered in his ear. Nico relaxed somewhat.

"But then…" Ginny swallowed. "You started… _fading_."

"Fading?" Nico repeated, his voice a little higher-pitched than usual.

"Professor Lupin had no idea why that happened," Neville said worriedly. "Or why we heard your memory. He said dementors normally force you to relive your _own_ memories."

Nico shuddered. "It did."

"You can drain some of my life force if it will help," Luna offered.

Nico sighed wearily. "Luna, I don't actually drain people's life forces."

"Then how do you normally stay solid?"

"Normally, I _am_ solid." Nico finally managed to pull himself onto the seat. "There was a, uh…problem, this summer. Shadow magic. Apparently I was out for three days, too insubstantial to move. I guess the dementor made the problem flare up again."

Professor Lupin reappeared in the doorway. "I haven't poisoned that chocolate, you know."

Nico took a bite and was surprised to find that it helped. Hermione simply stared at her chocolate, still too queasy to imagine eating.

Professor Lupin started. "Oh, I apologize. _Scourgify_." Hermione's pile of vomit vanished into thin air.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

"Are you all right?" Nico asked, concerned.

"I think we should be asking _you_ that question," Professor Lupin said wryly. "Nico, was it?"

Nico nodded. "I'll live."

"And I'm fine," Hermione lied, repressing a shudder. How was Nico still sane?

"Well, we'll be arriving shortly," Professor Lupin continued. "Let me know if you need anything."

Nico nodded, and Professor Lupin left. No one said anything; no one was sure _what_ to say.

* * *

When they arrived at Hogsmeade, Nico found it impossible to stand up. He reluctantly asked Hermione for help. She looked oddly nervous about the prospect, but she agreed. The moment she actually touched him, her expression inexplicably changed to one of relief.

Leaning heavily on Hermione, Nico followed Neville, Luna and Ginny to the carriages. Luna cheerfully greeted one of the thestrals; apparently, she could see them too. Ginny didn't even blink, probably assuming that Luna was just being her usual bizarre self.

Inside the carriage, Nico had to take several deep breaths to calm himself. The dark, enclosed space eerily reminded him of the bronze jar. It didn't help that a pair of dementors flanked the gate to the grounds. A wave of anguish washed over him as they passed through.

Once they reached the school, Hermione helped Nico down from the carriage. Malfoy stared, looking like he was debating whether or not he felt brave enough to taunt Nico.

"Yeah, I got sick this summer, what of it?" Nico snapped, shooting Malfoy his best death glare. "Don't think I won't still beat you up if you try to bully my friends."

Malfoy took a step closer to Crabbe and Goyle and headed up toward the school. Nico and Hermione followed more slowly.

Once inside the entrance hall, Professor McGonagall's voice called out. "Potter! Di Angelo! I want to see you both!"

Nico tried to pull away from Hermione and nearly toppled over. She put his arm back around her shoulders and led him over to Professor McGonagall. Harry also joined them.

"Thank you, Miss Granger, you may go into the Great Hall now," Professor McGonagall said. "Mr. di Angelo, are you at all capable of walking on your own?"

"I, uh, don't think so," Nico muttered, embarrassed.

"Well you're not leaning on _me_ ," Harry replied, scowling.

Professor McGonagall frowned at him. "I would have hoped that after everything the two of you have been through together, you might have reconciled your differences."

"We have," Nico grumbled. "Doesn't mean we have to like each other."

Professor McGonagall sighed. "Di Angelo, lean on me if you must. Let's go."

Nico reluctantly pulled away from Hermione and clutched Professor McGonagall instead. She led him and Harry up the marble staircase and through several corridors to her office. Once inside, Professor McGonagall unloaded Nico into a chair and motioned for Harry to sit next to him. Then she sat in her own chair behind the desk. "Professor Lupin sent an owl ahead to say you were both taken ill on the train."

Before either Nico or Harry could reply, there was a knock on the door and Madam Pomfrey came bustling in.

"I'm fine," Harry said quickly, red-faced. "Definitely better than Nico, anyway, at least I can _walk_."

"Oh, it's you two," Madam Pomfrey said, bending down to stare closely at Nico. "I suppose you've been doing something dangerous again?"

"It was a dementor, Poppy," Professor McGonagall interjected. The two faculty members shared a dark look.

"Setting dementors around a school," Madam Pomfrey muttered, pushing back Nico's hair and feeling his forehead. He unsuccessfully tried to escape her ministrations. "They won't be the last to collapse. Yes, this one's cold as ice. Terrible things, they are, and the effect they have on people who are already delicate—"

"I'm not delicate!" Harry interrupted. Nico would have liked to say the same, but another voice in his head (one that also sounded suspiciously like Will) told him he wouldn't fool anyone.

"Of course you're not," Madam Pomfrey said absentmindedly, turning to feel his forehead and take his pulse.

"Professor Lupin also said that di Angelo suffered a…curious…effect," Professor McGonagall continued. "He said you…faded?"

"Faded?" Harry repeated, sounding baffled. He stared at Nico.

"And that Miss Granger's hand passed right through you?" Professor McGonagall added.

Madam Pomfrey froze and stared at Nico. "In all my years as a nurse, I have never heard the like."

"Had an encounter with some shadow magic this summer," Nico mumbled. "Had the problem under control, but the dementor made it flare up again."

"Shadow magic," Professor McGonagall said flatly. She raised her eyebrows. "Mr. Brunner assured me that you would be safe at that camp of his."

"Yeah, well, I had to get there first."

"Is this the same place where you took Leo?" Harry asked, frowning. "Where he _died_?"

Nico weakly rubbed his forehead. "It's a very long story, okay? Thanks to Leo, the place really _is_ safe now. I swear."

"Mr. Valdez is dead?" Professor McGonagall repeated, looking pale.

"Yes," Nico sighed.

"I am very sorry to hear that."

Madam Pomfrey cleared her throat. "About our still-living patients…"

"I'll be fine," Nico insisted. "My healer from America gave Hermione some potions to manage my…problem."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "You mean that blond kid that was with you yesterday?"

Nico bristled. "Just because he's young, that doesn't mean he doesn't know what he's doing. I'm solid now, aren't I?"

Harry narrowed his eyes and lifted a finger as if to poke Nico, then thought better of it.

"Nonetheless, I think it would be wise if you spent the night in the hospital wing, di Angelo," Professor McGonagall said crisply. "As for Mr. Potter…"

Harry jumped out of his seat. "I'm fine, honestly."

"You should at least have some chocolate," Madam Pomfrey suggested.

"Professor Lupin already gave me some."

"Did he now?" Madam Pomfrey said approvingly. "So we've finally got a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies?"

"Are you sure you feel all right, Potter?" Professor McGonagall said sharply.

" _Yes._ "

"Very well. You may attend the feast. Di Angelo, go with Madam Pomfrey."

Nico sighed and tried to stand up. He managed to stay standing for several seconds before he lurched and clung to the chair back. Madam Pomfrey threw one of his arms around her shoulders and hauled him away.

* * *

Once in the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey insisted on subjecting Nico to various kinds of tests. She failed to determine anything beyond the fact that some sort of dark magic was sapping his life force. He really wished she would just let him sleep.

* * *

Hermione walked into the Great Hall and sat next to Neville and Ron. "Do you know what that was about?" Ron asked curiously.

Hermione shook her head. "No, but Professor McGonagall didn't seem surprised that Nico was leaning on me."

"Harry passed out," Ron admitted quietly. "I thought he was having a fit or something…then Lupin made the dementor go away and went to check the rest of the train."

"And…did you start hearing his memories?" Hermione asked cautiously.

"Huh? No. He did mention hearing a scream, though…and no one screamed."

"So why'd that happen with Nico?" Neville wondered.

"What are you talking about?" Ron demanded.

"We heard him get the news of his sister's death…boy, he did not take that well." Neville winced in sympathy.

"But…we met his sister yesterday," Ron said, confused.

"You met his _half_ -sister yesterday," Hermione clarified. "He had a full sister once."

Ron stared guiltily at his empty plate. "We spent so long convincing ourselves he was evil, we never bothered trying to _actually_ get to know him."

"I don't think that's entirely on you," Hermione replied. "He tends to push away people who try."

At that moment, Professor Flitwick led the very soaked first years into the hall. He departed the Great Hall and quickly returned with a stool and the Sorting Hat. The Hat burst into song.

Once the Hat had finished, the students burst into applause. "That's not the song it sang when it Sorted us," Ron commented, frowning.

"Sings a different one every year," Neville shrugged.

Professor Flitwick unrolled a parchment and began calling up students. Almost all of them looked pale and terrified.

"Did we look that mousy when we were first years?" Ron muttered quietly.

"Be nice," Hermione scolded, clapping for a new Gryffindor.

The Sorting passed uneventfully. Once all the first years had been Sorted, Professor Flitwick took the Hat and stool away. Harry passed him in the doorway and went to sit on Ron's other side.

"Where's Nico?" Hermione asked.

"Hospital wing," Harry replied.

Hermione was about to question him further, but Dumbledore stood up to make the start-of-term announcements. First, on a very grim note, he warned that dementors would be guarding all the entrances of the school. He didn't say why, but everyone could guess—the dementors were there to protect against Sirius Black. On a happier note, Dumbledore introduced two new professors: Remus Lupin would be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Hagrid would be taking over for Care of Magical Creatures.

"We should have known!" Ron commented, joining in the applause. "Who else would have assigned us a biting book?"

"Well, I think that's everything of importance," Dumbledore said, smiling. "Let the feast begin!"

Food magically appeared on the table. Harry, Ron and Neville helped themselves with gusto, but Hermione had no appetite. She couldn't get over the memories she'd seen from Nico—or rather, the memories she'd _experienced_. She'd _felt_ his anguish and hopelessness. How did he bear it?

How could she ever tell him what she'd seen?


	30. Nico Tries to Be Funny

In the morning, Neville emerged from the portrait hole to find Nico standing outside, still in Muggle clothing. "Nico? You okay now?"

"Ah, I'm fine," Nico said dismissively. "What's the password?"

"It's…um…" Neville trailed off, embarrassed and slightly frustrated. Only one night, and he'd already forgotten the password.

"Fortuna Major," a passing first year said helpfully.

"Yeah. That," Neville agreed. He should really write that down.

"Great. Thanks." Nico entered the common room and made his way up to the dormitory. Neville hesitated, then followed him—just to make sure he really _was_ fine.

* * *

Nico only stumbled once on the way to the Great Hall, so Neville decided he was probably okay. At the Gryffindor table, Hermione seemed less convinced. "Nico, what are you doing here?"

Nico helped himself to eggs and hash browns. "Eating, what does it look like?"

"Madam Pomfrey's been looking for you. Apparently, she never cleared you to leave the hospital wing."

"She just wants to run more tests to figure out what's wrong with me," Nico grumbled. "I know perfectly well what's wrong with me."

Neville frowned. "Then why don't you just tell her?"

Nico jumped; he'd forgotten Neville was in earshot. "Uh…because I'd really rather not let her know just what my family is involved in. The teachers would never let me leave the castle again…assuming they don't lock me in an asylum, or whatever the wizarding version of that is. And don't ask, because I'm not telling."

"Don't ask…what your family is involved in, or what an asylum is?" Neville asked hesitantly. "Because I've never heard of an asylum."

"An asylum is a place for insane people," Hermione explained.

"Oh." Neville suddenly looked a little green. "I, uh…I don't think you're crazy, Nico. Not the kind that gets locked up in St. Mungo's. Trust me."

"Uh…thanks for the vote of confidence," Nico replied, mildly confused by Neville's reaction.

"Course schedules, by the way," Hermione said, handing each boy a parchment.

Nico scanned his timetable, his dyslexia making it difficult as usual. "What do we have first?"

"Divination," Neville answered. "Should be interesting."

"I'm not taking Divination, though," Nico responded. He frowned at his schedule. "An…Ancient Runes?"

Hermione glanced at his timetable. "Yes, followed by Transfiguration."

Just then, Hagrid stopped by Harry and Ron on his way to the staff table. "All righ'?" he said loudly. "Yer in my firs' ever lesson! Right after lunch! Bin up since five getting' everythin' ready…hope it's okay…me, a teacher…hones'ly…"

"He's a teacher now?" Nico asked, frowning.

"Care of Magical Creatures," Hermione explained. She frowned at the dead polecat swinging from Hagrid's hand. "I wonder _what_ he's been getting ready…"

"I better go," Neville said, getting up. "Divination's at the top of the North Tower, it'll take ages to get there. See you later."

"See you," Nico replied, pulling out his quill and inkwell so he could translate his timetable into Greek.

* * *

Ancient Runes was taught by an elderly witch named Professor Babbling. Hermione and Nico were the only Gryffindor third years who'd signed up, so they shared their class with the Ravenclaws.

"Welcome," Professor Babbling said, smiling. "Welcome to the study of Ancient Runes. I know that this class is often maligned for its lack of wandwork, but a thorough knowledge of ancient scripts is essential to understanding the foundations of magic—and thus, to the casting of magic. Do you all have your copies of _Spellman's Syllabary_?"

"Yes, Professor Babbling," the Ravenclaws and Hermione answered. Nico merely held up his book.

"Good. We'll be starting this class with Elder Futhark Runes. If you progress to N.E.W.T. level, we will branch out into Ancient Greek and Old Italic." Professor Babbling turned to her blackboard and began writing on it. "Now, at the very basic level, the Elder Futhark runes are in fact an alphabet. Many of the runes coincide with letters and sounds from the Latin alphabet with which you are all familiar."

Nico narrowed his eyes at the blackboard, waiting for the runes to start dancing. They didn't. He couldn't automatically understand them, but his dyslexia wasn't interfering either. He might just come to like this class.

* * *

After Ancient Runes ended, Nico and Hermione were the first to arrive at Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall immediately gave Nico a severe look. "Madam Pomfrey informs me you are still meant to be in the hospital wing."

"I just needed sleep, that's all," Nico insisted.

"You don't look like you've had nearly enough."

Nico groaned. "I have spent the last _month_ in and out of the infirmary! Trust me, I don't look any worse than I have for weeks! And this is _school_ , where I sit at a desk all day! I'd say that's pretty restful!"

Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "As opposed to?"

"Sword fighting. Or the climbing wall. Or capture-the-flag."

Hermione cleared her throat. "Professor, he'll probably exert himself more sneaking back out of the hospital wing than he will just attending class… _with me keeping a constant eye on him_ ," she added with a stern look at her friend.

"Very well," Professor McGonagall relented, looking unhappy about it.

Nico and Hermione took their seats. Eventually, the rest of the class entered the room, all unusually silent. Everyone seemed to be staring at Harry. Harry sat at the back of the room, obviously uncomfortable with the attention.

Professor McGonagall began a speech about Animagi, wizards who could turn into a specific animal at will. She capped off the speech by turning into a cat. It didn't seem so very impressive to Nico, who'd seen Frank Zhang transform into a veritable menagerie of animals.

Hermione clapped, though she was the only one and she quickly stopped. Professor McGonagall turned back into herself with a faint pop. "Really, what has gotten into you all today? Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's not got applause from the entire class."

Everyone's heads turned toward Harry again, but no one seemed keen to speak. After several tense moments, Ron raised his hand. "Professor, we've just had our first Divination class, and we were reading the tea leaves, and—"

"Ah, of course," Professor McGonagall interrupted, suddenly frowning. "There is no need to say any more, Mr. Weasley. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?"

There was another long silence. "Me," Harry finally said.

Nico gave him a contemplative look. With that soul fragment in Harry, it was just about impossible to sense whether Harry was really near death or not. The soul fragment drowned out everything else.

"I see," Professor McGonagall said stiffly. "Then you should know, Potter, that Sybill Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school. None of them has died yet—"

"Leo did," Ron interrupted, his voice taut with worry.

Professor McGonagall sighed and briefly shut her eyes. "One student out of twelve. The odds are in Mr. Potter's favor."

"She correctly predicted that it would be a _fiery_ death," Ron added.

"And she predicted that Neville would break his cup," Lavender chimed in.

Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared. "Seeing death omens is Sybill's favorite way of greeting a new class. If it were not for the fact that I never speak ill of my colleagues—" She stopped and took a moment to collect herself. "Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. I shall not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it. True Seers are very rare, and Professor Trelawney—" Professor McGonagall stopped again. "You look in excellent health to me, Potter, so you will excuse me if I don't let you off homework today. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in."

No one laughed. The entire class remained subdued throughout the period.

* * *

Once Nico and Hermione had sat down to lunch, Hermione cast a worried look in Harry's direction. "Well, Nico, you're the expert—do you believe in death omens?"

"I _am_ a death omen," Nico replied, serving himself a bowl of stew.

Hermione turned to stare at him. "What?"

"That was a joke," Nico clarified.

"A…joke."

"Will tells me I need more humor in my life."

Hermione shook her head. "Nico, that really wasn't funny. And definitely _not_ an appropriate moment for a joke."

"Joking in the face of impending death always seemed to work for Leo."

Hermione put her head in her hands. "Nico, please, just…save the jokes for Will. And you haven't properly answered my question."

"Sure, death omens are real—but there are also plenty of things that people _think_ are death omens but really aren't."

"Like what?"

"Broken mirrors, cry of the screech owl— _those_ are real enough. Black cats meowing at midnight, clocks striking when they're not running, putting the clothes of a living person on a corpse—those are just superstition."

Parvati and Lavender passed by as he spoke. "Superstition?" Parvati repeated. "You don't believe in the Grim?"

" _That_ one's real," Nico conceded. "Although true Grims are rare. Usually people just see a big dog and panic."

"Was that Harry's death omen?" Hermione asked. "The Grim?"

Lavender nodded. "Professor Trelawney saw it in his tea leaves."

Nico frowned. "Never heard of death omens in tea leaves."

"Maybe you should have taken Divination, then," Lavender suggested.

Nico gave her a funny look. "Why would I want to go looking for death omens?"

"That's the most sensible death-related thing you've said all day," Hermione muttered, half to herself.

Parvati gawked. "How many death-related things has he said today?"

"Didn't even mention death until lunch," Nico grumbled.

Parvati looked slightly disturbed. "Death. Lunch. You know what, I think we'll sit over here…" She led Lavender farther away before sitting down.

* * *

After lunch, the Gryffindors headed toward Hagrid's hut for their first Care of Magical Creatures lesson. They were joined by the Slytherins, much to their displeasure.

Hagrid was waiting for them. "C'mon, now, get a move on! Got a real treat for yeh today. Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"

Hagrid led them all along the edge of the Forbidden Forest until they reached an empty paddock. "Are…are we studying thestrals?" Hermione asked uncertainly.

"Huh?" Hagrid said, sounding surprised. "Nah, won't show yeh those until upper years. Nothin' there right now, I'll get the creatures in a minute. Now, if yeh'd all open yer books—"

"How?" Malfoy drawled.

Nico rolled his eyes and pulled out his book. "You stroke the spine, obviously. Or it _would_ be obvious if you had ever tried being _nice_."

Both the Slytherins and the Gryffindors stared at Nico and his perfectly-docile book. "Being nice," Seamus said flatly. "Obviously."

Nico looked around in disbelief. "Did _no one_ else figure that out? Seriously?"

"Apparently, you're the only nice one here," Hermione told him, taking out her own book.

"World gone mad," Harry muttered, stroking his book and removing the belt he had used to keep it shut.

Hagrid looked nearly as baffled as Nico. "Right, er…five points ter Gryffindor fer common sense. Anyway, yeh've got yer books, so…so now yeh need the Magical Creatures. Yeah. So I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on…" He strode away into the Forest and out of sight.

"God, this place is going to the dogs," Malfoy said loudly. "That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him—argh!"

Nico had whispered a spell to break the rope binding Malfoy's book. The Gryffindors all laughed while Malfoy struggled to keep the book away from his face. Crabbe and Goyle tried to help, but they ended up knocking Malfoy off his feet and pinning him to the ground.

"So… _that_ was funny?" Nico quietly asked Hermione.

"Better," she agreed, smiling.

"I wasn't trying to be funny, I just wanted Malfoy to shut up…" Nico mumbled.

"Oooooooh!" Lavender squealed, pointing toward the paddock.

Hagrid had returned, leading a dozen creatures that were half horse, half giant eagle. "Hippogriffs!" he roared happily. "Beau'iful, aren' they?"

No one responded; the entire class looked a bit wary. Nico in particular got the impression that several hippogriffs were eyeing him with malice. He took off his ring and stuffed it into his pocket, determined not to risk revealing his sword if he got startled.

"So," Hagrid said excitedly. "If yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer—"

Most of the class seemed unenthused by this idea. However, Harry and Ron cautiously approached the fence. Hagrid began a speech about how hippogriffs were proud creatures and you should _never_ insult them. He then went on to explain how one should bow when approaching a hippogriff, and wait for the hippogriff to bow back before touching them.

"Right—who wants ter go first?" Hagrid asked.

Most of the class backed farther away, Nico included. Harry and Ron stayed where they were, though they looked nervous. After a few moments, Harry volunteered, despite Parvati and Lavender reminding him about the Grim.

Hagrid introduced Harry to a gray hippogriff named Buckbeak. Harry bowed and waited. Buckbeak stared haughtily as Harry visibly sweated, but eventually returned the bow. At Hagrid's encouragement, Harry patted Buckbeak's beak, to the hippogriff's apparent enjoyment. Hagrid took this to mean that Buckbeak would even let Harry ride him. Harry looked like he wanted to protest, but Hagrid helped Harry mount the hippogriff and then slapped Buckbeak's hindquarters. Buckbeak took off and flew a lap around the paddock. Once he landed, Harry looked very relieved to slide off his back onto firm ground. The Gryffindors cheered.

"Good work, Harry!" Hagrid said proudly. "Okay, who else wants a go?"

Emboldened by Harry's success, the rest of the class cautiously climbed into the paddock. Nico reluctantly joined Hermione at a chestnut hippogriff. The hippogriff bowed to Hermione, but squawked angrily at Nico.

"I'll just…let you pat him…" Nico said edgily, keeping his distance.

"Surely a big, smart hippogriff like you can tell that Nico's a good guy?" Hermione cooed.

The hippogriff snorted and gave Nico a thoughtful look. Nico was about to step forward and try bowing again, but then he heard Malfoy call Buckbeak a 'great ugly brute'. Instantly spotting the sudden aggression in Buckbeak's stance, Nico reacted without thinking. He shoved Malfoy out of harm's way and tried to summon his sword to fight off the hippogriff. Since he had put his ring in his pocket, all he accomplished was putting his arm in the path of the hippogriff's talon.

Hagrid quickly restrained Buckbeak while Malfoy began shouting. "Did you see that?! That thing tried to kill me! It's dangerous—ought to be put down! The whole lot of them!"

"You're welcome," Nico grumbled.

"You're bleeding," Neville noted.

"No I'm not," Nico said quickly, less than pleased by the idea of returning to the hospital wing. "It just got my sleeve, that's all." He quickly shifted his sleeve to hide the gash in his arm.

"Nico, you're bleeding onto the grass," Hermione pointed out. "You really should see Madam Pomfrey."

"I'm _fine_!" Nico insisted.

"Nico…" Hermione tried again, moving toward him.

"No! I'm fine! Leave me alone!" Nico turned and ran out of the paddock, heading into the Forest.

"Uh…Hagrid?" Neville said worriedly. "You should probably get him before he gets himself into trouble…"

"Right," Hagrid agreed, very pale. "Uh…class dismissed." He lumbered into the Forest after Nico.

The rest of the class headed back to the castle. "They should fire him straight away!" Pansy Parkinson shouted.

"It was Malfoy's fault!" Dean snapped.

"Want to say that again, you filthy Mudblood?" Malfoy sneered.

Dean stood his ground. "Hagrid warned us not to insult the hippogriffs."

"Ah, so if I hex you now, that's _your_ fault for insulting me?" Malfoy said smugly.

"Are you calling yourself a hippogriff?" Seamus retorted.

Malfoy went red in the face. He opened and closed his mouth several times, then sped up. Crabbe and Goyle followed, leering threateningly at Dean and Seamus.

Neville glanced back toward the Forest. "I hope Nico's okay…"

"What did he go and defend _Malfoy_ for?" Ron grumbled.

"It was kind of impressive, though," Parvati said thoughtfully. "He was _bleeding_ , and he just brushed it off like it was nothing…"

"Doesn't mean it _was_ nothing," Hermione said worriedly. At this rate, Will was going to murder her.

* * *

Nico tore through the undergrowth, not really paying attention to where he was going. Eventually, he sat down on a log and examined his gash. It was long, but not too deep. He poured a bit of unicorn draught on the cut, then tore off a piece of his sleeve and wrapped it around his arm.

A snuffling noise made him look up. A large black dog was staring at him. It was hard to be sure, but the dog looked slightly concerned.

"Huh," Nico said. "You look a bit like a Grim. I'd say you're too thin, but then again, you haven't run away from my death-scent…"

The dog cocked its head. Then it slowly moved forward and sniffed Nico. A few moments later, it whined. It _definitely_ looked concerned.

"I'm not going to hurt you. At least, so long as you don't hurt me."

The dog tentatively licked Nico's face.

"Okay, then." Nico cautiously petted the dog. "What kind of dog _are_ you? _Could_ be a death omen, I suppose…maybe those dementors pushed me past the point of no return…but I still think you're too thin. Seriously, when did you last eat?"

The dog whined again, looking forlorn.

"Well, I'd give you food if I had any. All I've got is unicorn draught…which, now that I think about it, would be safe to give you. Want some unicorn draught?"

The dog gave Nico a curious look. Whatever it was, it definitely seemed to be more intelligent than the average dog.

"All right. Here." Nico took out the flask of unicorn draught again and carefully poured some into the dog's mouth. The dog swallowed, then perked up and wagged its tail.

"Good dog." Nico looked around and suddenly realized that he was lost. "Uh…do you know the way back out of the forest?"

The dog wagged his tail again, then turned and began weaving through the undergrowth. Nico followed. After about five minutes, the undergrowth gave way to a wide trail.

Almost as soon as they reached the trail, lumbering footsteps heralded Hagrid's arrival. The dog darted back into the undergrowth. "Nico!" Hagrid exclaimed, sounding relieved. "What were yeh thinkin', runnin' off into the Forest?"

"I'm not going to the hospital wing," Nico said defiantly. "I can treat a basic cut."

Hagrid glanced at Nico's makeshift bandage. "All righ', but let's get outta here. 'S not safe."

Nico opened his mouth to protest, then sighed. He could take care of himself, but Hagrid wasn't to know that. He silently followed Hagrid back out of the Forest, slipping his ring back onto his finger.

As they walked, his thoughts drifted to the strange dog. Some time when he had the chance, he intended to come back with food. That poor dog clearly needed it.

* * *

 **A/N: Just to be clear, McGonagall hadn't known that Leo was one of the students whose death Trelawney had predicted.**


	31. Tartarus Can Scar Us

The next morning at breakfast, an owl delivered a letter to Nico. The paper was gold and smoked slightly at the corners. Nico opened it with some trepidation, and there was a sudden flash of gold light.

Hermione jumped. "What was that?"

Nico shrugged and opened the letter. It was from Will, written in Ancient Greek.

 _Dear Death Boy,_

 _Have you completely lost your mind?! Less than a day after a fading episode, you throw yourself in front of a raging hippogriff? I'm seriously considering writing an angry letter to the principal about his school's horrible safety measures. And as for_ you _…words of caution apparently don't get through to you, so I've had to resort to_ other _words. Have fun, and I really hope a teacher calls on you today._

 _Kisses (because as annoyed as I am, I miss you),_

 _Will_

Nico reread the letter, more flattered by the "kisses" than he cared to admit. Then he set it down and glared at Hermione. "You told my Will I'd come to harm when it was just a scratch upon my arm?" He clapped a hand to his mouth in horror.

Hermione stared at him, her mouth twitching in the beginnings of a smile. "Did you just say what I think you just said?"

Nico took a deep breath and tried again, hoping he was imagining things. "It would seem he was most aggrieved that I am more careless than he believed."

Oh no. No, no, no. Will did _not_ do that.

Hermione giggled. "Aggrieved…it certainly sounds like it."

Nico scowled. "He placed a rhyming curse on me, do not react with so much glee!"

Hermione continued giggling. "Oh, this is priceless…I wish I had a video camera."

Nico folded his arms, resolutely refusing to open his mouth.

"Oh, all right," Hermione sighed. She took out her wand. " _Finite._ "

"Thanks ever so much, but _Finite_ will not work as such." Nico gritted his teeth; for a moment, he'd thought it had worked.

"Well, that's all I've got," Hermione said apologetically. "How long do you think it will last?"

"How long it lasts, I dread to think; days it took when Cabin Five un-synced."

Hermione giggled yet again. "Days…oh this will be _very_ interesting…"

Nico stood up and wordlessly stormed out of the Great Hall. Great Styx, how was he going to deal with this?!

Unfortunately for him, Luna caught up to him in the entrance hall. "I heard about the hippogriff; how's your arm?"

Nico shrugged. Thanks to the unicorn draught, it was mostly healed by now.

"It sounded like you were really brave, saving Malfoy like that."

Nico shrugged again.

"You're a true Gryffindor, that's for sure."

Nico stared awkwardly at her, wondering how badly he would hurt her feelings if he simply walked away.

"Is there something wrong with your voice?"

"Oh yes, I'll say there's something wrong; I'm stuck rhyming all day long!"

Luna giggled, then eyed him quizzically. "Did you run into a Blibbering Humdinger?"

Nico sighed. "No, a friend of mine has many talents and uses them to keep me off my balance."

"Ah. The exploding letter?" Luna suggested sagely.

Nico nodded.

"Your friend sounds fun. I wonder if he'd be interested in writing an article for _The Quibbler_."

Nico sighed again. "Please, just let me pass so I can get to class?"

"All right." Luna giggled again. "See you."

* * *

Classes were miserable. Thankfully, no teachers called on Nico, but it was impossible to practice any incantations that didn't naturally rhyme. Will had effectively prevented him from actually doing any magic. Nico wasn't sure if that had been intentional or not.

* * *

That night, Nico did not join Hermione in the library; he holed in up his dormitory, trying to do his homework. Everything he wrote came out in rhyme. He tried Italian and Ancient Greek, too; everything rhymed. Professor Binns probably wouldn't notice, but he couldn't possibly hand in rhyming essays for his other classes.

Just as he was finishing his History of Magic essay, Fred and George came into the dormitory. "Rumor has it you're under a curse—"

"—that forces you to speak in verse." The twins smirked.

"Why do you care? Get out of my hair."

"Well, as rising masters of pranks—"

"—we think your curse could help our banks."

"You want to make money off me being funny? Not in a million years, so you'd better switch gears."

"No, no, you misunderstand."

"We want a rhyming curse for our brand."

Nico stared blankly at the twins. Fred sighed. "We're trying to start a joke shop, and we'd love to market a rhyming curse."

"Write to Will Solace in New York. He is a huge rhyming dork."

George tipped an imaginary hat. "Gracias, amigo."

Nico scowled. "I'm Italian, not Spanish. Now would you please vanish?"

"Ciao, then." The twins waved as they exited.

Nico sighed and snuggled Vescia. At least _she_ didn't mock him.

* * *

The curse finally wore off on Thursday morning, much to Nico's relief. They had their first Potions lesson that day, and he _really_ didn't want to rhyme in front of the Slytherins.

As soon as he entered the classroom, Pansy Parkinson sidled up to him. "How's the arm? Does it hurt _terribly_?"

Nico stared at her in confusion, wondering why she cared. "No, it's fine now."

"But it must have hurt at first, didn't it?" Malfoy chimed in. "The way you had blood gushing everywhere…"

Nico shrugged. "Barely noticed."

"Barely noticed?" Malfoy repeated in disbelief. "You were _mauled_."

"Ah, that was nothing. Getting mauled by a werewolf, now _that_ hurts."

Several students backed away from him. "You're a _werewolf_?" Pansy yelped.

"No, I got clawed, not bitten. And why are you all so concerned about me? Don't expect me to believe I'm suddenly the hero of Slytherin House."

Malfoy glanced at Crabbe and Goyle before answering. "Wouldn't you agree that no _competent_ teacher would ever have allowed that to happen?"

Nico glared coldly at him. "See if I save you next time." He sat down and began setting up his cauldron, pointedly ignoring the Slytherins. Snape was also giving him a look of interest, though fortunately he did not interrogate Nico.

That day, they were set to making a Shrinking Solution. It was more complicated than any potion they had studied before, requiring precision with every carefully prepared ingredient. Nico was thankful that his arm _had_ fully healed; he wasn't sure he could have managed the potion otherwise.

Unfortunately, Neville didn't do so well. An hour into the lesson, his potion should have been acid green, but instead it was orange—as Snape rather cruelly demonstrated to the class.

"Please, sir," Hermione offered. "I could help Neville put it right."

"How is he to learn if you do everything for him?" Snape retorted. "Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly." He gave Neville one final sneer, then moved on to criticize Lavender's potion.

Neville looked at Hermione, his eyes wide in fear. He mouthed a silent plea for help.

Nico moved over to him. "You did better last year when you were reading out the instructions to me. Maybe that's what you need to do, read the instructions aloud."

"Right," Neville said nervously. "Add three drops of hellebore…" He tried to add hellebore to his cauldron, but his hands shook and he accidentally added too much.

"Okay, _stop_ ," Hermione said firmly. "Calm down. Take a deep breath. Don't do _anything_ until your hands stop shaking."

Neville took a deep breath. "Calm. I'm calm. Trevor's going to die. I'm calm."

"Good enough," Nico sighed. "Now tell me what you're doing. Every step of it, as you do it."

Neville slowly grew more sure of himself as he continued brewing. Every once in a while, Hermione offered a suggestion that might help fix his earlier damage. Bit by bit, the potion gained its proper green coloring.

Eventually, Snape announced that they should have finished adding their ingredients, and he ordered the students to clean up while their potions stewed. Once they'd all washed up, he ordered them to gather around Neville's cauldron and watch as he tested the potion. Neville was breathless with fear, but fortunately, his potion had turned out all right—Trevor turned into a tadpole.

Snape scowled as he gave Trevor an antidote. "Miss Granger, I believe I told you not to help him."

"With all due respect, sir, you said not to do it _for_ him," Hermione replied, her head high. "He did it himself, I just steered him in the right direction."

"Hmph. Class dismissed."

As soon as they were out of the classroom, Neville let out a huge sigh of relief. " _Thank you_ , Hermione."

"You just need more faith in yourself," Hermione said encouragingly.

"And Snape needs to stop picking on him," Nico added irritably. "What does he have against Neville?"

Neville shuddered. "I'm just glad we only have Potions once a week…"

* * *

That afternoon, they had their first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. The students gathered in the empty classroom and took out their books. Professor Lupin was the last to arrive. He set his ragged old briefcase on the desk, then turned to the class and announced that they would be having a practical lesson. Once they'd all put their books back in their bags, he led them out of the classroom.

Out in the corridor, they ran into Peeves, who was floating upside down and stuffing a keyhole with chewing gum. When Professor Lupin got close, Peeves broke into song. "Loony, loopy Lupin, loony, loopy Lupin—"

"Peeves," Nico said coldly. "Shut up."

Peeves gave Nico a contemplative look, a malevolent light in his eyes. "Rumor has it the little lord is losing his grip."

Nico flinched, remembering the last time someone had said that to him. "Really? Who told you that, Bryce Lawrence?"

Peeves narrowed his eyes at Nico. After several tense moments, he zoomed away. Nico sighed, trying to push aside the dark memories.

Seamus gave him a funny look. "Who's Bryce Lawrence?"

"No one you'd know."

"Did I hear Peeves call you a _lord_?" Professor Lupin asked curiously.

"All the spirits here are very old-fashioned," Nico said irritably. "The di Angelos haven't used titles since the Great War."

Professor Lupin raised an eyebrow. "The Great War?"

It took a moment for Nico to realize his error. "Er…um…World War I."

"I see." Professor Lupin gave Nico another odd look, then cleared his throat. "Shall we proceed?"

The group set off again, following Professor Lupin through the castle. Hermione looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, then whispered to Nico. "Are the di Angelos really Italian nobility?"

"Venetian aristocracy since the city broke away from the Eastern Roman Empire," Nico answered. "Not that it matters much now."

"You never mentioned that before."

"There was never a reason to."

At that moment, they reached the staffroom. Professor Lupin opened the door. "Inside, please."

The staffroom was empty except for Professor Snape, who stood up as the class entered. When Professor Lupin made to close the door, Snape spoke up. "Leave it open, Lupin. I'd rather not witness this." He strode to the door, then paused and looked back. "I understand that one of these students was once attacked by a werewolf. I hope that won't cause any problems for your lesson." He sneered, as if he and Lupin were sharing some private joke. Then he swept out of the room and closed the door.

Professor Lupin looked slightly disconcerted. However, he shook it off and beckoned the class toward a wardrobe in the corner. Suddenly, the wardrobe shook violently.

"Nothing to worry about," Professor Lupin said calmly. "There's a boggart in there."

Many of the students looked very worried at that. Professor Lupin explained how boggarts liked enclosed spaces, then asked the class if anyone could explain what a boggart was. Hermione answered that boggarts were shapeshifters that took on the form of whatever their opponent most feared. Professor Lupin confirmed this, then asked Harry if he'd spotted the class's advantage over the boggart. Harry looked surprised to be called on, but he correctly answered that with so many people in the room, the boggart wouldn't know who to frighten. Lupin smiled at Harry, then went on to say that the best way to defeat a boggart was through laughter.

Professor Lupin taught them an incantation to use against boggarts, then called up Neville for a demonstration. After determining that Neville's greatest fear was Professor Snape, Professor Lupin suggested that Neville picture Snape in his grandmother's clothes. He then suggested that the rest of the class come up with ways to render their own fears amusing.

Nico had no idea how to do that. He wasn't entirely sure what his _worst_ fear was. He could think of a number of things that terrified him, and he couldn't think of any way to make any of them less terrifying. He was fairly good at facing his fears, but making them _funny_? As he'd clearly demonstrated earlier that week, he was rather humor-challenged.

"Everyone ready?" Professor Lupin called. Most of the class nodded and rolled up their sleeves. "Neville, we're going to back away. Let you have a clear field, all right? I'll call the next person forward…everyone back, now, so Neville can get a clear shot." Once the class had obeyed, Professor Lupin took out his wand. "On the count of three, Neville. One—two—three— _now_!"

Sparks flew out of the professor's wand, and the door opened. Professor Snape stepped out, glaring malevolently at Neville. Neville initially backed away in terror, but soon got a hold of himself. " _Riddikulus!_ "

Suddenly, Snape was dressed in an old woman's clothes. Professor Lupin began calling other students forward. They all had fairly tame fears which were easily handled. The only boggart that Nico found remotely frightening was Ron's giant spider. Ron removed the spider's legs, causing it to roll over until it landed in front of Nico. Nico raised his wand and took a deep breath.

With a sharp crack, the legless spider changed into a giant black pit. Nico's feet slid out from under him and he felt himself being drawn forward. He wasn't the only one; several other students fell over and clutched at the furniture to stay in place. Nico's feet went over the edge, and his mind went blank with panic—was it possible for a boggart to create a true entrance to Tartarus?

"Here!" Hermione said quickly, pulling him behind her. There was another crack, and the boggart changed again. It became an unconscious copy of Nico, pale and transparent, radiating darkness.

Hermione swallowed. " _Riddikulus!_ " The boggart changed into a giant rag doll.

Harry stepped forward, the only student who had yet to face the boggart. But, like Hermione, Professor Lupin moved forward to face the boggart instead. With another crack, the boggart turned into a silvery-white orb that hung in the air. Professor Lupin turned it into a cockroach, then told Neville to finish it off. Neville once again forced Snape into his grandmother's clothes, then let out a bark of laughter that caused the boggart to explode into wisps of smoke.

Professor Lupin praised Neville and awarded five points to everyone who fought the boggart. He also awarded points to Hermione and Harry for answering his questions at the beginning of class, then gave them a brief homework assignment about boggarts. As soon as the class was dismissed, Nico hurried out of the room, determined not to let anyone ask him about his boggart.

Hermione was not so lucky. "Miss Granger, could I have a word?"

Hermione turned back and forced her face into a neutral expression. "Yes, Professor Lupin?"

"May I ask why you stopped Mr. di Angelo from fighting the boggart?"

Hermione briefly shut her eyes, trying not to think of that sadistic giant from Nico's memory. "Because if there was a chance— _any_ chance—that the boggart could send people to the actual pit that Nico fears—that wasn't a risk worth taking."

"What is this pit that inspires such terror?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "Whatever happened to him there, it was too horrible for him to speak of."

Professor Lupin looked thoughtful. "Would this have something to do with the unusual effect the dementors have on him?"

"Probably."

Professor Lupin nodded. "I see. Well, while I understand and appreciate your concern for your friend—your boggart was really rather touching, by the way—I doubt a boggart could actually send him anywhere. Please let him fight his own battles in the future."

"Yes, Professor Lupin." Hermione swallowed and left the room.

* * *

Nico quickly grabbed his bag from the classroom and hurried back to Gryffindor Tower, trying very hard to force the boggart—and Tartarus—from his mind. To his relief, he spotted Fred and George in the common room, and he had an idea. He walked over to them. "Do you know where the kitchens are?"

The twins shared a look. "Perhaps. Why do you want to know?"

"Look, I told you who to talk to for your rhyming curse. Least you could do is give me some information in return."

The twins shared another look, then George shrugged. "Fair enough. Go through that door the Hufflepuffs always come through at breakfast, then down the staircase. There'll be a painting of a bowl of fruit. Just tickle the pear, and it'll giggle and turn into a door handle."

"Thanks." Nico went up to his dormitory to stow his books, then took his empty bag and set off to follow George's directions.

* * *

Once Nico had obtained some dog-friendly food (he hadn't been expecting a horde of house elves, but they were very helpful), he left the castle and headed for the Forest. Not knowing where to look, he tried to make his way back to the clearing where he'd first met the dog. Before he reached it, the dog bounded up to him, sniffing hopefully and wagging his tail.

"Hey, buddy. I brought you some food." Nico unpacked his bag and set the food on the ground. The dog began to greedily devour it. Once he was satisfied that the dog was eating, Nico sat on a nearby log and looked around. "The Forbidden Forest…honestly, from what I've seen, this place is less dangerous than the forest at camp. They say this forest is full of monsters, but so far all I've found are thestrals and now you. Well, there _was_ that one time with You-Know-Who and the dead unicorn…"

The dog paused in his eating and stared at Nico in apparent horror.

"Oh, don't worry, You-Know-Who is in a different forest now. Word of advice: stay _away_ from Albania." Gods, that had been humiliating.

The dog gave Nico an uncertain look, then continued eating.

Nico thoughtfully eyed the dog. "You know, if I'm going to keep feeding you, I should probably come up with a name for you. Hmmm…how about…Felpato."

The dog paused again and cocked his head at Nico.

Nico shrugged, switching to Italian. "I think it suits you. And I'm certainly not naming another pet 'Puffball'."

Felpato stared at Nico, then let out a short bark.

"Felpato it is, then."

Felpato continued staring at Nico, then slowly began eating again, looking mildly disconcerted.

"Wait a minute…" Nico said, frowning. He switched back to English. "You act like you understand me when I talk in English…but you're giving me blank looks when I talk in Italian. Do you understand English?"

Felpato hesitated, then nodded.

"But not Italian."

Felpato shook his head.

"Well, there went any theory that you might be an ordinary stray that wandered onto the grounds. Oh well, I'm no stranger to magic dogs. You're much smaller than my father's guard dog…could be a young hellhound, maybe?"

Felpato gave Nico an odd look, then snapped up the last bite of food and curled up next to Nico. Nico scratched his ears, staring through the trees, his mind drifting to the boggart and Tartarus again.

Eventually, Nico broke the silence. "Ever been to hell?"

Felpato shuddered and nodded.

"Me too. Never really leaves you, does it."

Felpato shook his head and put his chin on Nico's lap. Nico absently petted him, staring into the distance again.

* * *

When he came to dinner that night, Nico stopped next to Hermione and narrowed his eyes at her. "You turned me into a rag doll."

"Had to be _something_ funny," Hermione replied, not looking up from her shepherd's pie.

"My fading episode really bothered you that much?"

Hermione hesitated, still not looking at him. "You keep insisting you're going to die young, and then you practically turned into a ghost right before my very eyes. Yes, it bothered me."

Nico sat next to her. "Well, I'll try not to let that happen again. Can't make any promises about not dying young, though."

"So long as you try," Hermione said, pushing her food around her plate. Then she took another bite, frustrated with herself. She _still_ hadn't worked up the courage to tell Nico the _real_ reason behind her boggart—she was terrified of being forced to relive his memories again. If he had another fading episode, she wasn't sure she'd be able to muster up the courage to help him.

* * *

 **A/N: "Felpato" is the official Italian translation of "Padfoot". Not that Nico did that on purpose.**


	32. Nico Is Not Allowed to Be Spooky

Defense Against the Dark Arts rapidly became many people's favorite class. Professor Lupin followed up the boggart unit with lessons on various other Dark creatures. Even Nico found the lessons interesting, as he was entirely unused to defeating monsters in a wizardly fashion. He kept instinctively trying to summon his sword, which eventually led to Professor Lupin remarking on Nico's habit of twisting his wand in his grip. Nico brushed it off as a nervous habit, secretly very relieved that having his wand in hand prevented him from accidentally transforming his ring.

Care of Magical Creatures, on the other hand, had become positively boring. Hagrid had them all spend lesson after lesson caring for flobberworms, creatures that did nothing but lie around eating lettuce and excreting mucus. The worms didn't even shy away from Nico's presence, although there was one lesson where he inadvertently poisoned one by feeding it rotted lettuce without noticing.

Ancient Runes was proving to be mildly interesting. During one lesson, Professor Babbling walked around the room looking at everyone's notes, and she became very confused when she saw Nico's. "Mr. di Angelo, where did you get these Ancient Greek translations? The third-year textbook doesn't even cover Ancient Greek."

Nico did a double take as he looked at his parchment. Taking notes in Ancient Greek was such a deeply ingrained habit that he didn't even think about it. "Oh. Um…"

"He's always taken notes in Greek," Hermione spoke up. "Ask any of his other teachers."

"In _Ancient_ Greek?" Professor Babbling repeated skeptically. Several Ravenclaws gave Nico funny looks.

"My dad taught me Ancient Greek when I was growing up," Nico lied, avoiding everyone's gaze. "I had trouble reading Italian, but Ancient Greek came much more easily to me."

"Well…so long as you're translating correctly," Professor Babbling relented, still looking bemused.

* * *

Outside of class, Neville had taken it upon himself to introduce Nico and Hermione to some wizarding games. Nico didn't care much for Exploding Snap, but he quickly got the hang of Gobstones—a game much like marbles where the stones would spit a foul-smelling liquid in the face of any player who lost a point.

One night, Nico was playing another game with Neville when Hermione walked up to them. "First Hogsmeade visit on Halloween," she announced.

"Oh no," Neville said worriedly. "I think I left my permission form at home."

"Get your gran to send it, then," Nico replied, absently reaching back to scratch Vescia's ears.

Neville blinked. "…how did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Vescia walked up behind you and you petted her without even looking."

Nico started and looked back at his cat. "Oh. Heard her coming."

"Really?" Neville said skeptically. "That cat walks quieter than a mouse."

"OI!" Ron roared from across the room. "GET OFF, YOU STUPID ANIMAL!"

Nico, Neville and Hermione all whirled around to see what the commotion was about. Crookshanks had dug his claws into Ron's bag and was tearing ferociously at it. Moments later, Scabbers flew out of the bag. He scrambled to his paws, raced across the room and hid under Vescia. Crookshanks pelted after him and began swiping at Vescia. She cocked her head, then sat down and shifted her paws to protect the rat.

"Hermione, control your cat!" Ron complained, hurrying over.

"He doesn't know any better!" Hermione defended, picking up Crookshanks. "All cats chase rats!"

"Except Nico's, apparently," Ron noted.

Nico frowned at Vescia and Scabbers. "You know, Ron, your rat is the only pet around here that _isn't_ scared of her. You _sure_ that's an ordinary rat?"

"He's been in my family for twelve years and never shown any signs of magical powers," Ron replied, shrugging and picking up his rat.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Twelve years? I didn't think rats normally live more than three."

"I've been taking good care of him!" Ron said defensively.

Nico shrugged. "Hey, I'm not complaining that your rat doesn't hate Vescia. Or me."

Ron scowled at Vescia. "Speaking of which, isn't there anything you can do to convince your cat to _not_ attack Harry?"

Nico shook his head. "Can't teach a dead cat new tricks."

"Fine." Ron walked away.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at Nico. "You really can't make her be nice to Harry, or you don't want to?"

Nico glanced at Neville, then gave Hermione a significant look. "Don't forget, she hated Ginny's diary too. Some things just set her off."

"Ah." Hermione stood in awkward silence for a moment, then glanced at the notice board again. "Well, at least Hogsmeade should be fun."

Nico shuddered. "Not sure I'd be in any condition to enjoy it if I have to go past those dementors to get there. Think I'll wait until Black is captured and the dementors leave."

Hermione swallowed. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

"We'll bring you back some stuff," Neville offered. "If I find my permission slip, anyway."

Nico petted Vescia again. "Thanks."

* * *

Halloween morning dawned cold and windy. At breakfast, Nico and Harry were the only third years who hadn't bundled up (apparently Harry's uncle had refused to sign his permission form). Next to Nico, Hermione and Neville were animatedly chatting about where they wanted to go. Eventually, Hermione looked up at Nico. "You know, you'd probably like the Shrieking Shack, Nico. It's said to be the most haunted building in Britain."

"Sounds interesting," Nico agreed. "Haunted by what?"

"No one knows. That's what makes it so…"

"Creepy?" Neville finished with a shudder. "I think I'd rather go to the Three Broomsticks."

"That's fine with me," Hermione assured. "I can always go to the Shrieking Shack with Nico another time."

"Weird place for a date," Ron spoke up, overhearing.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "How many times do I have to tell everyone that Nico and I are _not a couple_?"

"Well, the two of you are always hanging out!" Neville said defensively. "And you're the only one denying it!"

"I happen to know that he's seeing someone in America!" Hermione retorted.

"Thanks, Hermione, I wanted everyone to know that," Nico said drily.

"Really?" Neville said, interested. "What's her name?"

"None of your business." Nico savagely ripped a chunk off his toast and stuffed it into his mouth.

"You know what, let's just go…" Hermione said, looking embarrassed. She stood up to leave, shooting an apologetic look over her shoulder at Nico. Neville and, surprisingly, Ron followed her.

Nico hurriedly finished his breakfast, desperately trying not to imagine rumors of his love life spreading around the school. Once he was done, he picked up a napkin and wrapped up some sausages for Felpato. Then he noticed something by Neville's plate—a small piece of parchment on which Neville had written the current password to Gryffindor Tower. Nico pocketed the parchment, making a mental note to return it to Neville the next time he saw him.

* * *

" _Nico_ has a girlfriend?" Ron demanded incredulously as they exited the castle.

"Forget I said anything," Hermione said quickly, red-faced. "It's his business, I shouldn't have brought it up."

" _Nico?_ " Ron repeated, as if Hermione had told him the sky was green.

"Didn't you just say you thought he and Hermione were dating?" Neville pointed out.

"Well yeah, but she's just as weird as he is."

Hermione stopped short and stared at Ron. "Ex _cuse_ me?"

"What? You act more like a Ravenclaw than a Gryffindor, with all the time you spend in the library…"

Hermione gaped at him, then sped up and stormed away.

Ron turned to Neville. "What? What'd I say?"

Neville shook his head. "I'm no expert on girls, but I'm pretty sure that calling a girl 'weird' is on the list of things you _don't_ say to a girl."

* * *

Nico soon found Felpato, who barked happily at the sausages Nico had brought him. Nico set down the food and waited silently while Felpato ate. Once Felpato was done, Nico spoke. "You seem to know the grounds pretty well…don't suppose you know a way I could get to Hogsmeade without passing the dementors?"

Felpato's ears perked up. Then he wagged his tail and took off. Nico followed.

To Nico's surprise and confusion, Felpato led him into the castle. "Uh, Felpato…I said Hogs _meade_ , not Hog _warts_. And I'm not sure you're allowed to be in here."

Felpato ignored him and charged up the marble staircase. Nico followed more slowly, keeping a wary eye out for teachers. Sure enough, when they reached a second-floor corridor, he heard approaching footsteps. Moments later, Snape rounded the corner, holding a goblet of some smoking potion. He stopped short when he saw Nico. "Mr. di Angelo? Why are you not in Hogsmeade?"

"Uh…" Nico glanced around, but Felpato seemed to have vanished. "Didn't feel like it, that's all."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "And so you left Miss Granger to go all by herself?"

Nico shrugged. "She was with Neville and Ron, last I saw."

"Ah." Snape didn't seem to know what to make of that. "Well, enjoy your day." He continued walking. When he passed a tapestry, he inexplicably tripped and spilled his potion.

"Professor, are you all right?" Nico demanded, bending down to pick up the goblet.

"Fine," Snape said stiffly, looking both angry and embarrassed. He silently accepted the goblet from Nico and walked away without another word.

Moments later, Felpato emerged from behind the tapestry. He looked in the direction Snape had gone, looking bizarrely pleased with himself.

Nico frowned. "Felpato, did you just trip my teacher?"

Felpato nodded, still looking pleased with himself.

"Why would you do that? What did Snape ever do to you?"

Felpato let out a quiet growl. Then he bent down to sniff Neville's parchment, which had fallen out of Nico's pocket. Nico picked up the parchment again, and Felpato gave him a quizzical look.

"My friend Neville is always forgetting the password to Gryffindor Tower, so he writes it down," Nico explained. "He forgot that at breakfast this morning."

Felpato looked _highly_ interested now.

"Yeah, his memory isn't the greatest. Good guy, though."

Felpato cocked his head, then continued leading Nico through the castle. He finally stopped by a mirror on the fourth floor. He tapped several spots with a claw, then nosed at the pocket where Nico kept his wand.

"I'm supposed to tap those spots with my wand?"

Felpato nodded.

"Okay, then…" Nico took out his wand and followed Felpato's directions. To his surprise, the mirror slid to the side, revealing a staircase leading downwards. "Is this a secret passage out of the castle?"

Felpato nodded again.

"How did you even know…ah, I suppose you can't really tell me. Well, however you know about this, thanks." Nico began walking down the staircase, and Felpato followed him. The mirror slid closed behind them.

* * *

After walking for roughly half an hour, Nico and Felpato discovered a problem with their secret passage. A portion of the tunnel had collapsed, completely blocking the way forward. Felpato nosed at the cave-in and whined, clearly disappointed.

"Where's Hazel when you need her," Nico sighed.

Felpato gave him a curious look.

"Underground is more her thing than mine. She could probably clear this up…for that matter, she could probably create a whole new passage."

Felpato looked a little skeptical at that.

"Well, since she's not here, might as well see if we can move this rock out of the way by hand…or by paw."

Felpato nosed the pocket with Nico's wand again.

"Oh. Good point." Nico took out his wand and began levitating some rocks.

* * *

Neville and Ron eventually found Hermione again in Honeydukes, examining a tray of Chocolate Skeletons. "Looking for something to bring back to Nico?" Neville suggested.

"Yes," Hermione confirmed. She took three of the Chocolate Skeletons, hesitated, then grabbed a pack of Chocolate Frogs. "And something for myself."

"I thought you didn't like candy," Neville commented, surprised.

"My parents don't like me eating too much candy," Hermione corrected. "But they always make an exception on Halloween."

"No such thing as too much candy," Ron argued, grabbing several packs of Chocolate Frogs. He took a small handful of coins out of his pocket, looked at the Chocolate Frogs, then sighed and put one pack back on the shelf.

Hermione tutted disapprovingly. "Too much candy ruins your teeth."

"There are spells to fix teeth, you know," Neville remarked.

"I _do_ know," Hermione replied, looking mildly disgruntled. "I keep asking my parents for permission to ask Madam Pomfrey to fix my front teeth, but they insist I should continue with my braces."

"Tha's stupid," Ron mumbled through a mouthful of Chocolate Frog.

Hermione frowned at him. "You haven't paid for that yet."

Ron shrugged. "I will. Here, Scabbers, want some Chocolate Frog?" Scabbers poked his nose out of Ron's pocket, and Ron broke off a piece of chocolate for him.

Hermione rolled her eyes and headed to the front of the shop to pay for her purchases. Neville grabbed some Sugar Quills before following her.

* * *

After what felt like hours, Nico conceded defeat and sat down for a rest. The cave-in was simply too extensive to clear.

"Nico, _what_ are you doing?" a voice demanded.

Nico jumped, and Felpato barked. They both looked up to see an Iris-Message shimmering in the air. Will and Jason were standing in Cabin One, giving Nico suspicious looks.

"Didn't I give you strict orders about Underworld-y stuff?" Will continued. "You look like you're underground."

"Secret passage," Nico replied. "Was hoping to find a way to get to the village without passing the dementors—you know, the creatures that caused me to start fading? You'd rather I just go past them and collapse again?"

"Well, when you put it like _that_ …" Will relented.

"What's with the dog?" Jason asked curiously.

"Felpato showed me the passage," Nico explained. "Smartest dog I've ever met."

"No kidding," Jason agreed. "You sure he's not a monster?"

"Well, it's been two months and he hasn't tried to kill me, so…" Nico scratched Felpato's ears. Felpato didn't seem to notice, too busy staring at the Iris-Message with an expression of utter befuddlement.

"Well, hello, Felpato," Will said warmly. "Thank you for helping my boyfriend _not_ get himself killed."

Nico's face went red. "Don't call me that, it just sounds weird."

"Would you prefer _special guy_?" Will suggested. "Or _significant other_? Or—"

"Love of his life?" Jason cut in.

"Shut up! What did you even message me for, anyway?!"

Will shrugged. "Just making sure my Death Boy isn't using the spookiest day of the year as an excuse to do something spooky that melts him into a puddle of darkness."

"I'm _not_ ," Nico insisted. "Camp doing anything special for Halloween?"

"Decorations _everywhere_ ," Jason replied. "Conner wanted to hold a party in your cabin—you know, the whole 'death' theme—but Chiron talked him out of it. Didn't think your dad would take kindly to that."

"Austin wrote some Halloween songs for the campfire tonight," Will added. "Should be fun."

"Glad I'm not going to be at the campfire, then."

"I really hope that wasn't an insult to my brother's music," Will said sternly. Before Nico could reply, a conch horn sounded in the distance. "Aaaand it's time for breakfast. Happy Halloween. No Underworld-y business."

"Give that dog a bone," Jason added. The Iris-Message shimmered and disappeared.

Felpato sat down hard, looking thoroughly bewildered. He looked between Nico and the spot where the Iris-Message had been, whining.

"So…yeah." Nico awkwardly cleared his throat. "That was my friend Jason and my more-than-a-friend Will. I've just been outed to a dog…I don't know why that bothers me."

Felpato hesitated, then licked Nico's cheek.

"Well, nice to know you accept me. Come on, might as well be getting back." Nico led the way back to the castle.

* * *

Upon arriving at the Halloween feast that night, both Nico and Hermione stopped to gawk at the decorations. "Whoa."

Neville snorted. "You look like you've never seen the Halloween decorations before."

Nico and Hermione shared a glance. "We haven't."

"Wait, you haven't? Why not?"

"Well, first year we were both having really bad days and didn't feel like it, and then last year we went to Nick's deathday party instead," Hermione explained.

"The troll," Nico added. "Don't forget, first year there was the troll."

Neville shuddered. "Please don't spoil my appetite."

"Sorry." Nico sat down at the Gryffindor table, followed by Hermione and Neville.

* * *

The feast proved to be thoroughly delicious, and the evening was capped off with some formation gliding by the castle's ghosts. Nico had actually enjoyed himself (and the Chocolate Skeletons from Hermione), and he resolved never to skip the Halloween feast again.

Students finally dispersed to go to bed, and the Gryffindors trekked back up to Gryffindor Tower. Unfortunately, the third year boys discovered a problem. Namely, that their entire dormitory had been trashed. Ron's part of the room seemed to have gotten the worst of it; his bed looked like it had been viciously slashed with a knife. All six boys stood by the doorway, staring at the wreckage.

It was Ron who finally broke the silence. "…glad Scabbers wasn't sleeping there," he said weakly, putting a protective hand over his pocket.

"Who could have done this?" Harry wondered.

"We should report this to the prefects," Dean suggested.

* * *

Within half an hour, word had spread throughout the house, and someone had sent for Professor McGonagall. Every single Gryffindor had multiple witnesses who could confirm that they had been at the feast all night. Professor McGonagall finally decided to solve the problem by asking the Fat Lady.

"My Lady, did you admit any student to Gryffindor Tower during the feast?"

"Oh, yes," the Fat Lady admitted with a tipsy-sounding giggle. "He looked a little older and more ragged than usual, but he still had the wasspord." She paused, frowning. "Possward."

"Older," Professor McGonagall said flatly. "And who was this student?"

The Fat Lady giggled again. "The one the girls all swoon for. The one they all talk about. Sirius Black!"


	33. How Not to Slay Werewolves

**A/N: Warning, this chapter contains another dark flashback.**

* * *

The common room broke into an uproar. Professor McGonagall had to set off several loud bangs with her wand in order to regain order. After determining that the Fat Lady was too tipsy to remember if Black was still in the Tower, Professor McGonagall sent entire house back to the Great Hall and went to fetch Dumbledore.

Ten minutes later, most of the staff and all of the other students had joined them in the Great Hall. "The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore announced. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately. Send word with one of the ghosts." He made to leave the hall, then paused and turned back. "Oh yes, you'll be needing…" He waved his wand, sending the house tables to the side of the room and covering the floor in squashy purple sleeping bags. "Sleep well!"

The hall immediately buzzed with chatter; the Gryffindors were relaying the story to friends in other houses. Nico debated looking for Luna, then spotted her deep in conversation with Ginny. From the looks of things, she had come up with one of her typically bizarre theories to explain the night's events and was trying to convince Ginny.

"Come on," Hermione said quietly, dragging two sleeping bags over to a corner of the room. "Do you think Black's still in the castle?"

Nico shrugged. "How would I know?"

Hermione sighed. "It's very lucky he picked tonight, you know. The one night we weren't in the tower…"

Nico frowned. "How'd he know the password? I mean, he could have learned where Gryffindor Tower is back when he was in school, but how would he know the _current_ password?"

"I don't know," Hermione replied, baffled. "How'd he even get into the castle? Do you think he could be your brother?"

Nico briefly thought about it, then shook his head. "No. No way. _No way_ I could have a brother who made it to sixteen without _any_ of us knowing about it."

"I mean, 'Sirius' _is_ a name from Greek mythology…Orion's hound…"

"Not _one word_ about Orion," Nico growled. "He was a sexist bastard who deserved what he got. And he didn't have a dog, at least not that I saw."

"It was just a theory," Hermione said defensively. "Normal wizards can't Apparate into or out of Hogwarts, but those rules clearly don't apply to you. I just thought…"

"He's not," Nico interrupted firmly. " _My_ father _kept_ his oath."

"The lights are going out now!" Percy Weasley called. "Everyone in their sleeping bags!"

The candles went out all at once. Nico rolled over and shut his eyes, effectively cutting off further conversation. Hermione sighed and looked up at the enchanted ceiling, trying and failing to think up other plausible theories.

Nearby, Neville stared wide-eyed at Nico and Hermione, trying to make sense of what he'd overheard.

* * *

In the morning, the students were permitted to return to their dormitories. Gryffindors were assured that the Fat Lady's portrait had been enchanted to keep her sober within her own frame. The Fat Lady seemed to be torn between contrition and horror, berating herself for letting a madman into the Tower.

Professor McGonagall called Gryffindors into her office one by one in an effort to determine precisely _how_ Black had gotten the password to Gryffindor Tower (which had of course been changed immediately). Neville swallowed nervously when it was his turn, fidgeting nervously with the parchment containing the old password.

"Mr. Longbottom, have you recently given the password to anyone—student, staff or otherwise—who should not have access to Gryffindor Tower?"

"N-no, of course not," Neville stammered.

"Did you see anyone suspicious in Hogsmeade yesterday?"

"N-no, not really. I mean, there was that hooded bloke that turned out to be a witch, but Black's not a witch…"

"Yes, thank you," Professor McGonagall cut him off, sounding slightly irritated. "And you have no idea how Black could have learned the password?"

Neville nervously took out his parchment. "W-well, I mean, I d- _did_ leave this at breakfast yesterday—but Nico found it! He kept it safe for me!"

Professor McGonagall frowned. "What is that?"

"I…I wrote down the password because I k-keep forgetting it," Neville admitted, hanging his head.

"I see," Professor McGonagall said stiffly. "Please refrain from writing down the password in the future, and fetch Mr. di Angelo."

* * *

Professor McGonagall held up Neville's parchment with the password. "I understand this was in your possession yesterday?"

"Yes," Nico confirmed. "I didn't show it to anyone, if that's what you're asking."

"Is it possible someone might have gotten a glimpse of it in Hogsmeade without your noticing?"

Nico shook his head. "I wasn't even _in_ Hogsmeade yesterday."

Professor McGonagall's head snapped up. "You weren't?"

"No. I didn't think it was a good idea for me to go near the dementors. I was at school all day, and no one else saw that parchment." Well, no one human, but he didn't think dogs counted.

"I see. Thank you."

* * *

By the end of the day, the teachers still seemed to be at a loss to explain how Black had broken into the castle and obtained the password to Gryffindor Tower. Classes resumed normal on Monday, though students continued to trade wild theories about Black.

A few nights later, Ginny walked up to Nico in the common room. "Can you _please_ convince Luna that Sirius Black is _not_ an unregistered Animagus using his animal form to sneak into the school and map all the secret passages? Of which there is apparently one in Ron's _bed_? Snape took ten points from Gryffindor because apparently it was _my_ fault that _she_ wouldn't shut up about it…"

Nico stared at Ginny. "What makes you think she'll believe _me_?"

Ginny blinked, then sniffed. " _Boys_. Never notice anything…" She stormed away.

Nico turned to Hermione, bewildered. "What's she talking about?"

Hermione looked like she was trying very hard not to laugh. "Uh, don't worry about it."

"Okay…" Nico turned back to his Charms homework, decidedly confused.

* * *

The weather got worse throughout the week. Gryffindor had been due to play their first Quidditch match against the Slytherins, but the Slytherin team all managed to come down with colds that mysteriously resisted every potion Madam Pomfrey gave them. The Quidditch match was rescheduled against Hufflepuff, though none of the Gryffindors bought the Slytherins' ploy.

By Friday, it had begun to rain so heavily that Nico used his book bag as a makeshift umbrella on the way back from Herbology. "At camp, we can control the weather," he grumbled.

"Yes, well, we're not at your camp," Hermione reminded him.

"Aren't there any spells that can keep off the rain or something?"

"There might be," Hermione said thoughtfully. "That's a good idea."

* * *

That afternoon, Professor Lupin wasn't in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Snape taught the class instead, and he seemed more interested in disparaging Lupin's teaching methods than in actually teaching the class. By the time Harry burst in, ten minutes late, Snape still hadn't started the lesson. He docked ten points from Gryffindor, refused to answer Harry's questions about Lupin's absence, and threatened to dock another fifty points if Harry didn't sit down and shut up.

Finally, Snape finished ranting about Lupin and opened a copy of the textbook. "Today we shall discuss…" he flipped to a chapter near the very end of the book, "…werewolves."

"But, sir," Hermione objected. "We're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start hinkypunks—"

"Any _competent_ teacher would have begun teaching you about werewolves by now," Snape interrupted. "Now turn to page 394. _All_ of you! _Now!_ "

With some bitter grumbling, the class obeyed. Snape turned to Nico. "You once had an encounter with a werewolf, Mr. di Angelo, did you not? How did you recognize it as a werewolf and not a true wolf?"

"I, uh, saw him transform," Nico replied, caught slightly off-guard by the question.

"I see. And tell us, how did you survive the encounter?"

"I stabbed the werewolf with my friend's silver pocketknife," Nico answered, too flustered to think up any kind of cover story.

Half the class stared at him, then shook their heads. Apparently, they were growing accustomed to Nico's strange stories. Snape, on the other hand, seemed surprised. "You…attacked the werewolf with a _pocketknife_?"

"Well, it was the only silver weapon we had. Not counting the silver dog…"

Snape frowned, looking like he wanted to ask about the 'silver dog', then he refocused. "So you _chose_ to get in range of the werewolf's teeth? That was incredibly dangerous. Why did you not use your wand?"

"I didn't have it with me," Nico responded, increasingly uncomfortable with the questions. "We're not supposed to do magic outside school, are we?"

"The law makes allowances for life-threatening situations," Snape replied. "Well. Clearly you all need to learn the proper, _safe_ methods of killing werewolves…"

* * *

Snape had them spend the entire class taking notes about werewolves while he disparaged the work they had done with Professor Lupin. When the bell rang, he assigned a ridiculously long essay on how to recognize and kill werewolves. The moment they were dismissed, Nico hurried out of the room, hoping to evade any further questions about Lycaon. Fortunately for him, most of the class seemed more interested in complaining about Snape's obvious grudge against Lupin.

Neville, however, caught up to him. "So…what's this about a silver dog?"

"My friend Reyna has a pair of magic dogs," Nico replied, somewhat curtly. "A gold dog named Aurum and a silver one named Argentum."

"Wow. Where'd she get them?"

"She…" Nico stopped short. "I have no idea."

"Wasn't it a full moon last night?" Hermione cut in, looking thoughtful.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Nico demanded, confused.

"Well…" Hermione glanced at Nico and seemed to reconsider what she'd been about to say. "Never mind. I'll be in the library."

* * *

The next day dawned gray and stormy. At breakfast, both the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff teams were clearly not looking forward to the day's Quidditch match. However, the rest of the school remained undaunted, and soon there was a massive crowd crossing the lawn to the Quidditch pitch, huddled underneath umbrellas.

Nico and Hermione automatically went to Leo's heated bench. To their surprise, they saw Ron and Percy sitting with Ginny on the bench. Percy waved in greeting. Hermione awkwardly returned the wave and sat next to Ron.

"Hey," Ron said. He had to nearly shout in order to be heard over the wind.

"Hey," Hermione replied. "We're not…intruding, or anything like that, are we?"

"No, you're fine," Ron said somberly. "Leo would want this thing to warm as many people as possible."

Hermione was briefly silent. "I'm not sure if I've said it before, but I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thanks." Ron glanced at his older brother. "Percy's gotten a lot nicer, since then. I think it made him realize there are more important things than his dreams of becoming Minister of Magic."

"Ah." Hermione was saved from responding further when Madam Hooch threw the Quaffle into the air and fourteen red and yellow blurs shot off the ground.

"Is Lee not commentating today?" Nico wondered aloud.

Hermione glanced in Lee's direction. He had his usual megaphone, though he looked slightly frustrated. "I think he is, but it's impossible to hear him with all this wind…"

Nico stared through the rain toward the match, huddling rather closer to Hermione than he normally would have done so that he could shelter under her umbrella. "Please _don't_ tell Will if I catch a cold, I don't need another rhyming curse."

Hermione stifled a giggle. "I thought you were immune to the cold."

" _Dry_ cold," Nico corrected. "It doesn't rain down in…uh…Dad's place."

Hermione did not respond, wincing as Harry narrowly avoided a Bludger. It looked less like he'd dodged on purpose and more like he'd missed it through sheer dumb luck. "I hope Harry's not getting too much rain on his glasses. How they expect anyone to find the Snitch in these conditions…"

* * *

By dinnertime, there was no indication that either Seeker had so much as spotted the Snitch. Gryffindor was winning, but it had become increasingly obvious that Harry's vision was impaired. When Wood called a time out, Hermione excused herself and hurried down to the field.

She returned just as play resumed. "Cast a water-repelling charm on Harry's glasses," she explained. "Wasn't a fair match the way it was."

"Hm." Nico shivered. For some reason, his mind drifted back to the time Jason had accidentally electrocuted him while fighting a storm spirit. That had _hurt_. And the time he'd ended up sleeping out in the rain because he didn't have the energy to shadow-travel to somewhere more sheltered…

Why was it so _cold_? Honestly, no match was worth enduring _these_ conditions. "I'm going back to the castle," Nico mumbled, standing up.

He stumbled toward the stairs without waiting for a response. Just as he reached them, a black shape collided with him, knocking him off balance. The cold grew more intense, and all sound seemed to disappear…

Nico collapsed.

* * *

 _Nico was five years old. He chased Bianca all the way to the edge of the park and finally caught her, laughing. "I'll get you for that!" she teased._

" _You'll have to catch me first!" Nico replied. He was about to run off, but Bianca suddenly grabbed his shirt and dragged him behind a nearby bush. "What—"_

" _Shh!" Bianca hissed, jerking her head at the street. Two policemen had dragged a pair of men out of a nearby house. The two men looked disheveled, and one was missing his shirt._

" _These men have been caught in the act of fornication," one policeman announced, very loudly. "They say they are…_ in love. _" The policeman's lip curled in disdain. "Let us show them what kind of place their 'love' has in our good Christian society!"_

 _The other policeman drew his nightstick and began beating one of the men. The first policeman followed suit with the other man. Several of the onlookers joined in, punching and kicking the two men._

" _They're going to die," Bianca whispered, horrified._

" _We can't let them!" Nico whispered back, though deep down he somehow knew Bianca was right. He tried to move out from behind the bush, but Bianca grabbed his shirt again._

" _Do you want to join them?!" Bianca hissed worriedly._

 _Nico briefly struggled, then sagged against his sister. "What's wrong with love, anyway?"_

" _Don't believe them, Nico," Bianca whispered fiercely. "Love is more important than anything."_

 _Nico simply stared at the scene, unable to tear his eyes away. Somehow, he kept picturing_ himself _as one of the bloodied men on the ground. Eventually, the men fell silent and stopped moving. Nico heard an odd buzzing in his ears, and he was certain they were dead. Nevertheless, the mob kept beating their corpses._

* * *

The dream changed.

 _A handsome man with curly black hair pushed his way through a crowd, wand drawn, his malevolent gaze locked on something Nico couldn't see. Then the crowd parted, revealing a short, round man whose face was streaked with tears. "Lily and James, Sirius!" the shorter man shouted. "How could you?!"_

 _The shorter man reached for his wand. An explosion suddenly rocked the street; Nico could sense at least a dozen deaths. When the smoke and debris cleared, there was a crater in the street, so deep it had cracked the sewer below. Dead bodies and injured bystanders littered the street. The shorter wizard was nowhere to be seen. Many people were screaming._

 _The handsome wizard stared. Then he burst into laughter—mad, hysterical laughter. He continued laughing even after Ministry wizards appeared and placed him under arrest._

* * *

Nico woke, filled with an inexplicable rage. He wanted to find and throttle Wormtail. The filthy rat had destroyed _everything…_

Wait. Where had _that_ thought come from? Nico didn't know any 'Wormtail'. And he certainly couldn't think of anyone who had done anything to make him that angry.

Next to Nico, Felpato lifted his head, a haunted look in his eyes.

* * *

 **A/N: Just to be clear, Nico's flashback was set back in Italy, and all the dialogue was in Italian.**


	34. Sirius Mysterious

Hermione didn't care that they'd lost the match; she was too busy trying to decide whether she was more freaked out by the appearance of roughly a hundred dementors or the fact that Harry had fallen off his broom. At least Nico had left the pitch before the dementors showed up.

Or…she thought he had. He wasn't at dinner, and he wasn't in the common room either. Increasingly concerned, she decided to take a peek in the third year boys' dormitory.

"Hermione!" Seamus yelped, looking startled. "What are you doing in here?!"

"Sorry," Hermione muttered, red-faced. "Have either of you seen Nico?"

Dean shook his head. "Haven't seen him since this morning."

"Okay, thank you." Hermione hurried back down the stairs, fighting panic.

* * *

Nico took a few deep breaths, trying to make the world stop spinning. He felt both queasy and hazy. And far too weak. He reached for his flask of unicorn draught, then gasped in pain. Looking down, he noticed that his leg was tightly splinted. His wand lay next to it. Odd. How had he broken his leg and who had splinted it?

Nico shakily pushed himself to a sitting position and took a long drink of unicorn draught. Looking around, it took a moment for him to recognize his surroundings. For some reason, he was underneath the Quidditch stands. Felpato whined at him, looking concerned and slightly apologetic.

Oh. Right. The black shape that had knocked him off balance right as he reached the stairs. He must have fallen. He really needed to stop falling down stairs at Hogwarts.

Although…he was nowhere near the base of the stairs now. Someone must have moved him out of the wind and rain. "Felpato, did you drag me over here?"

Felpato glanced upwards, looking mildly disturbed. Nico wasn't sure what that meant.

"Who splinted my leg?"

Felpato quickly looked away.

"…okay, stupid question. Obviously, you can't tell me." Nico sagged back to the ground and tried to remember Annabeth's story of how she defeated Arachne. How had she managed her broken ankle? "By any chance, have you seen something I could use as a crutch?"

Felpato shook his head, then staggered out into the rain. He didn't seem to be in very good shape either. A few minutes later, he came back with a long, thick branch that must have come down in the storm.

"Thanks," Nico said, trying to haul himself to his feet. Felpato gave him a nudge to help steady him. Once Nico had gained his balance, he noticed his wand still on the ground. "Oh, Styx. I really should have picked up my wand first."

Felpato clumsily picked up the wand with his teeth and offered it to Nico.

"Thanks," Nico said again, sticking the wand back in his pocket. He began hobbling back to the castle.

* * *

Hermione made her way to the hospital wing. Right as she reached the door, it opened and the mud-spattered Gryffindor Quidditch team emerged. "Is Nico in there?" Hermione asked anxiously.

The players shared a look of confusion. "No, why?" George replied. "Did something happen to him?"

Hermione nervously bit her lip. "I haven't seen him since before the dementors showed up."

Katie frowned. "You think the dementors did something to him?"

Hermione swallowed. "Back on the train, they…affected him pretty badly…"

"Talk to Professor McGonagall," Angelina suggested.

Hermione grimaced. "Yes, I think I will."

* * *

"Styx," Nico muttered again, staring in dismay at the front doors. They were now firmly shut, and no amount of pushing or pulling would open them. Nico pulled out his wand and cast _Alohamora_. Still nothing.

"Just let me in, damn it!" Nico exclaimed in frustration, pounding on the doors. No one answered. With all the tightened security, Nico had a feeling those doors were going to remain firmly shut until morning. He let loose a creative string of Ancient Greek curses he hadn't realized he knew, then sagged against the doors. "Wonder how dangerous it would really be to shadow-travel right now…"

Felpato gave him a funny look.

"No, better not," Nico decided. "If I get myself killed just because I didn't want to spend the night outdoors, Will is going to make a special trip to the Underworld just to kill me again."

Felpato took a few steps away, then barked.

"What?"

Felpato took a few more steps, then looked over his shoulder.

"You want me to follow you? You do realize I've got a broken leg?"

Felpato nodded, then lifted a paw and beckoned.

"Fine, but this better be worth it."

* * *

"Professor, I'm worried. After what happened on the train…I'm scared there won't be anything left for us to find."

"We'll find him, Miss Granger, don't worry," Professor McGonagall replied. She looked pretty worried. "You're sure he ran afoul of the dementors?"

"He had just left the pitch when they arrived. He could have walked right into them."

"Foolish boy," Professor McGonagall sighed. "Wandering the grounds alone, with Black _and_ the dementors on the loose…"

Hermione gasped and clapped her hands to her mouth. "Black? You think he might have been found by _Black_?"

Professor McGonagall winced, looking like she'd said too much. "Please, Miss Granger, return to Gryffindor Tower and let the teachers handle this."

"Yes, Professor," Hermione reluctantly acquiesced.

* * *

"You're taking me to a magic _tree_?!" Nico shouted over the wind, keeping out of range of the tree's flailing branches. "Do you have any idea how much plants hate me?!"

Felpato looked up at the tree, hesitated for a heartbeat, then wove through the branches until he reached the trunk. Suddenly, the tree froze.

Nico warily hobbled forward. The tree did not attack him. He joined Felpato and discovered a large gap in the tree's roots, leading to an underground tunnel. "Well, I suppose it's shelter," Nico conceded. He carefully lowered himself into the tunnel.

Now out of the rain, Nico would have been content to stay where he was, but Felpato had other ideas. He padded down the tunnel, then turned back and beckoned with his paw again.

"Fine," Nico sighed. He hauled himself back to his feet, though he had to bend over to avoid hitting his head on the low ceiling. For once, he felt thankful that he was short for his age.

Eventually, the tunnel rose. A patch of light shone through a small opening. Nico hauled himself through the hole and found himself in a room. A dusty, dirty, chaotic room with boarded windows and broken furniture. Some of the furniture looked suspiciously like something had taken large bites out of it.

"Please don't tell me this is a monster's lair," Nico groaned. "I'm in no condition to fight. And I'm not Annabeth, I can't talk monsters into defeating themselves."

Felpato gave him another funny look. Then he gently nosed Nico toward a shadowy hallway with a staircase. Nico reluctantly let Felpato help him up the stairs.

Finally, Felpato showed Nico to a room containing a magnificent four-poster bed. Nico collapsed onto it with a sigh. "Okay, this _is_ better than hanging out in the rain by the front doors. Thanks."

Felpato climbed onto the bed and curled up on the other side.

"You are full of mysteries, Felpato," Nico continued, yawning. Drained from his adventure, he rolled over and shut his eyes. Within minutes, he was asleep.

* * *

When Hermione woke the next morning, she dressed as quickly as possible and hurried down to the common room. Spotting Neville on his way to the portrait hole, she quickened her pace to catch up to him. "Did Nico ever turn up?"

"Turn up?" Neville repeated worriedly. "No. I was wondering why his bed was empty…"

"He left the Quidditch pitch right before the dementors showed up," Hermione explained. "No one has seen him since."

"Why don't we see if Vescia can find him?" suggested a voice behind them.

Hermione and Neville whirled around to see Ginny holding Vescia in her arms. The former two shared a look, then Hermione shrugged. "Worth a try, I suppose." She opened the portrait hole and climbed through it, followed by Ginny and Neville.

Ginny set Vescia on the ground. "Can you find Nico for us?"

Vescia sat down and cocked her head.

"Nico? Your owner?"

"Mew?"

Ginny made an exaggerated broody face. "Nico. Find."

Vescia stared at Ginny, then licked a paw.

"Hang on a minute," Hermione said, an idea coming to her. "Trova Nico."

Vescia immediately stood up and began trotting down the corridor. Neville and Ginny both stared at Hermione. "Was that Italian?" Neville asked curiously.

"Nico has been teaching me," Hermione explained, following Vescia. "And I've noticed sometimes he talks to Vescia in Italian…"

Neville looked back at the cat. "Huh. Well, good idea…"

* * *

Several corridors away, Vescia stopped opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. She whined, looking back and forth between the end of the corridor and the blank wall opposite the tapestry. Then she tentatively lifted a paw and poked the wall. Emboldened, she began scratching furiously.

"There must be a door somewhere," Hermione muttered, rounding the corner. Neville and Ginny searched too, but none of them could find a way into the area Vescia was clearly trying to reach.

"I'll get McGonagall," Neville offered.

* * *

Professor McGonagall had no more idea how to get in than they did. After casting several spells in a futile effort to make a door reveal itself, she gave up and fetched Dumbledore.

Dumbledore paced back and forth in front of the wall, muttering to himself. After several minutes, he sagged in defeat. "I am sorry. If Mr. di Angelo is truly inside, we cannot get to him."

"We're just giving up?" Hermione asked in a small voice.

"I am afraid, Miss Granger, that we have searched everywhere we can. It is, of course, my sincerest hope that there is somewhere we have overlooked. But for now, there is nothing more to be done."

"Thank you, Professor," Neville said quietly. He picked up Vescia, who was clearly reluctant to abandon her attempts to dig through the wall, then he turned to Hermione. "Come on. If Nico _does_ turn up, he'll come back to the common room."

* * *

Hermione stared blankly at the fire. "I should have gone with him."

"You can't blame yourself," Neville said earnestly. "You couldn't have known."

"What am I going to tell his sister? What am I going to tell his b—his healer? And all his other friends back in America? I promised I'd keep Nico out of trouble…"

"We don't even know he ran into the dementors," Neville argued, trying to convince himself. "Maybe he wandered down to Hogsmeade or something."

Hermione swallowed, petting Crookshanks. "You saw the way he faded, back on the train. That was just _one_ dementor. There were _hundreds_ at the match…"

Neville sighed, also staring at the fire. "I was so worried about Harry yesterday…I can't believe I didn't think of Nico sooner."

Hermione picked up Crookshanks and hugged him tightly, ignoring his indignant squawk. "Nico was the first real friend I ever made. I can't…I can't just _lose_ him…"

Crookshanks wriggled out of her grip, looking supremely annoyed. He dashed toward the portrait hole.

* * *

 _Felpato growled menacingly, his eyes fixed on Scabbers. Scabbers squeaked and scurried away, darting through any small spaces he could find. Felpato relentlessly pursued the rat._

Nico blinked open his eyes and stared at the wall. That had been a refreshingly weird dream. Usually he only remembered demigod nightmares.

Then he heard footsteps from somewhere below him. _Human_ footsteps. He struggled to his feet and limped over to the landing. "Hello?"

There was an odd clatter. Then Felpato trotted up the stairs. He picked up Nico's crutch in his mouth and held it out to Nico.

"Uh…thanks. Someone down there?"

Felpato shook his head.

"Thought I heard footsteps…"

Felpato stared blankly, then took a step down the stairs. He looked back at Nico.

"All right, I'm coming. Suppose I should get back to school before they lock up for the night _again_."

Nico carefully made his way down the stairs. It was much easier than coming up had been the previous night; the unicorn draught had significantly sped up the healing of his leg. Once he reached the ground floor, he took another drink of unicorn draught. He grimaced as he noticed that he was almost out. He'd have to ask Reyna to send more.

In the main room, Felpato had somehow acquired a small pile of chicken legs. Suddenly realizing that he was ravenous, Nico grabbed one and tucked in. He had just started his second chicken leg when another noise made him look up. Crookshanks had entered the room and was staring haughtily at Nico.

Nico stared in disbelief. "Does every animal in the school know about this place?"

Crookshanks sniffed disdainfully and tried to nudge Nico toward the tunnel.

"I know, I'll go back, but let me eat, I'm hungry."

Crookshanks hissed and lifted a paw to shove Nico. Though the cat didn't draw blood, Nico could definitely feel his claws.

"Okay, okay." Nico tried to stand up. "Um…Felpato, help?"

Felpato helped Nico get back to his feet.

"Thanks." Nico followed Crookshanks back through the tunnel.

* * *

By the time they reached the other end of the tunnel, Nico was starting to feel like the splint was more of a hindrance than a help. He sat down in order to undo the splint and take it off. Gingerly experimenting, he found that his bad leg held his weight.

When he climbed out of the tunnel, Crookshanks was pressing something on the tree. He continued to press whatever it was until Nico was well out of range of the aggressive tree's branches. Then Crookshanks scurried away from the tree and led the way back into the castle, tail held high.

* * *

Nico had just reached the second floor landing when he ran into Professor McGonagall. She gasped when she saw him, clutching her heart. "Mr. di Angelo, thank goodness! Where have you _been_?"

"Oh…um…" Nico sputtered, surprised. It hadn't occurred to him that people would notice he was missing. "I…fell off the Quidditch stands, or something. Got knocked out. When I woke up, the castle doors were closed for the night, so I went to go find shelter."

"Shelter where? We searched the grounds for you."

"I don't know. Some old house."

Professor McGonagall frowned. "The only house on the grounds is Hagrid's hut, and you weren't there."

"Huh. Maybe I was hallucinating?" Nico suggested, baffled. "Actually, considering I woke up with a splint on my leg and then a dog led me to that house—which looked like a monster's lair, for some reason—that's probably the most logical explanation." He didn't really think so—Felpato had done weird things before—but he had no explanation for the splint. Unless perhaps Apollo was in a good mood. Stranger things had happened.

Professor McGonagall sighed. "I think it would be best if you get yourself checked over by Madam Pomfrey. Especially considering what happened the last time you had a run-in with dementors."

"Dementors?" Nico repeated, confused.

"The dementors decided to attend the Quidditch match. You didn't see them?"

"No…though, come to think of it, that probably explains why I fell."

Professor McGonagall sighed again. "Go to Madam Pomfrey. Don't think I didn't notice that hallucination or not, something really _is_ wrong with your leg."

* * *

Madam Pomfrey concluded that, while Nico was still suffering from that mysterious dark magic, his health had in fact improved since the start of term. She was also very impressed by his mostly-mended leg, and asked for the recipe to unicorn draught. Nico admitted he'd gotten it from a friend and had no idea how it was made. Crookshanks hung around by Nico's heels, clearly impatient for him to get going.

* * *

Hermione was still staring at the fire when she heard Crookshanks meow. She turned to look at him…then looked up at the pale, scrawny figure behind him. "Nico!" she screamed, tackling him in a hug. "Where have you been?! Do you have any idea how worried I've been?! I thought the dementors had killed you! I thought Will was going to murder me!"

"I'm fine," Nico mumbled, clumsily returning the hug. "Passed out when the dementors came, and when I woke up, the front doors were locked for the night. Found somewhere out of the rain. That's all."

"You scared me half to death!" Hermione continued, still clinging to him. "Don't _ever_ do that again!"

"It wasn't intentional!" Nico protested, trying to break free of her grip. Hermione didn't seem inclined to let him go.

"Let him breathe, Hermione," Neville chimed in. "Good to have you back, Nico. You gave us a right scare there."

"I'm _fine_ ," Nico insisted, finally escaping Hermione's embrace.

"Sorry," Hermione said, wiping a tear from her face. "But really, Nico, be more careful. _Please_."

"I will," Nico promised. "Excuse me, I need to change." He limped up the stairs to the boys' dormitory.

* * *

Inside, Scabbers was sleeping on Ron's pillow. Nico thought back to his dream of Felpato chasing Scabbers, then shook his head. That _had_ to be an ordinary dream…right?

* * *

 **A/N: Sirius's 'mildly disturbed look' was because he didn't drag Nico out of the rain; Nico phased right _through_ the stands.**


	35. Hades Gives the Worst Presents

On Monday, Professor Lupin was back in his classroom. He assured the class that they did not have to complete the werewolf essay (to the disappointment of Hermione, who'd already finished it). Instead, he brought out a glass box containing a little one-legged creature that looked as though it were made of wisps of smoke. The creature held a lantern in one hand.

Nico started. "I've seen those before!" he exclaimed, forgetting to raise his hand.

"Indeed?" Professor Lupin said, sounding interested. "Do you know what this is called?"

"Er…no," Nico admitted. "Just that we'd see them sometimes in the marshes outside Venice, and Mother always forbade my sister and me from going anywhere near the 'strange lights'."

"Well, she gave you good advice," Professor Lupin replied. "Hinkypunks attempt to lure travelers into bogs. You should never follow their directions. Now everyone, turn to page 103."

* * *

At dinner that night, Harry approached Nico. Confused, Nico looked up from his food. "What do you want?"

"Lupin offered me lessons in fighting dementors," Harry explained, looking mildly disgruntled. "He said I should extend the offer to you too."

"Oh." Nico hesitated, wondering whether Lupin could really teach him anything that would address the fading issue. Then he decided it was probably better safe than sorry. "Sure, thanks."

Harry nodded curtly. "He said it'll probably have to wait until after the holidays, but…well, he'll probably tell us when he's ready." With that, Harry walked away.

* * *

A few Thursdays later, Nico got an unexpected Iris-Message in the middle of Transfiguration. He hurriedly swiped through the message, excused himself and ducked into Myrtle's bathroom. Once inside, he turned on a sink and returned the IM. "Will? What's wrong?"

"What do you mean, what's wrong? I'm just messaging you to wish you a happy Thanksgiving!"

"A happy…what?"

"Thanksgiving? Turkey day?" Suddenly, a look of realization came over Will's face. "Oh wait…they don't have that in Britain, do they?"

"Uh…no. Normal school day here. I was in class when you messaged. Still supposed to be there."

"Oops," Will said sheepishly. "Hang on…didn't you ever celebrate that in the US, though?"

Nico thought about it. "Oh right, there was that one time at Westover Hall when we had a long weekend for Thanksgiving…Bianca and I had nowhere to go, so we just stayed at school and didn't really do anything."

Will shook his head. "You poor, Thanksgiving-less Italians. You _do_ celebrate Christmas, right?"

"Yeah. I'm planning to stay at school, but my plans always seem to change at the last minute, so we'll see."

"Gotcha. I'll be sure to find an owl and send you something."

"Uh…thanks. Talk to you later." Nico swiped through the image. "Myrtle, do you have any idea how I would buy Christmas presents at Hogwarts?"

Myrtle drifted out of her stall. "Go to Hogsmeade?" she suggested with a shrug.

"That might be difficult."

"I don't really know," Myrtle said apologetically. "I was Muggle-born, I never knew all that much about wizarding culture."

"Guess I'll figure it out," Nico sighed.

* * *

As it turned out, there was to be another Hogsmeade visit the day before students went home for the holidays. Nico seriously considered taking the risk and going to Hogsmeade, but decided against it. Judging by the recent Quidditch match, he still wasn't safe to go near dementors. Instead, he gave Hermione a few Galleons and a general idea of what he thought Will and Hazel would like (how he was going to buy _Hermione_ a present, he had no idea).

The morning of the Hogsmeade visit, Nico played with Vescia in his dormitory while Hermione, Neville and Ron went down to the village. For their first stop, both Ron and Neville insisted on going to Honeydukes. Hermione tagged along, figuring that she could buy some Tooth-Flossing Stringmints for her parents' Christmas gifts.

Once she had bought the Stringmints, Hermione searched the shop for her friends. She thought she heard Ron's voice coming from a corner, so she headed toward it. Suddenly, Neville appeared in her path. "Hi, Hermione!" he said, sounding oddly cheery. "So, Nico asked you to do some Christmas shopping for him too, right?"

"Uh…yes," Hermione confirmed, giving him an odd look. "So, are you ready to go?"

"Nah, Ron and I will probably be a while. Why don't you go get some other shopping in while Ron and I are looking?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"No!" Neville objected, a little too quickly.

Hermione gave him a suspicious look. "You know what, I probably don't want to know. Come find me when you're done with whatever you're doing."

Neville heaved a sigh of relief and returned to Ron and Harry, making sure to block Harry from Hermione's view.

* * *

After several hours, Nico decided to go out to the grounds to visit Felpato. When he reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest, he found Luna hand-feeding some meat to a thestral. She perked up when she saw him. "Nico! Have you met Melinoe?"

Nico stopped and stared at her. "What?"

"Melinoe," Luna repeated, gesturing to the thestral. "I named her for the Greek goddess of ghosts."

"Uh…that goddess is… _not_ a very nice one, you know. Personally, I wouldn't name anything after her."

"Oh. Have you met the goddess Melinoe, then?"

"Well…" Nico debated whether to answer honestly, then shrugged. "Yes. She tricked me into thinking she was my mother, then accused me of abandoning her."

Luna frowned. "That wasn't very nice of her. No wonder you don't want to name a thestral after her." She paused in thought. "Melinoe, you are now Hecate. Is that better, Nico?"

"I guess." Nico pulled a sausage out of his pocket and fed it to the thestral.

"Are you visiting your sister for Christmas again?"

"Probably not, but my Christmas plans have a way of changing at the last minute."

"Hmm." Luna looked thoughtful, then suddenly nervous. "Well…would you like to change your plans at the last minute and stay with my father and me? I've told him all about you. I'm sure he'd love to meet you."

Nico shook his head. "No thanks. Bad things tend to happen to me around Christmas. I don't want you to get caught up in it."

"I'm willing to take the risk," Luna argued. "How bad could it really be?"

"Well…last year I discovered that Leo was my cousin (or was he my second cousin?) and ended up dragging him into our family issues, which eventually led to his death. The year before that, I got kidnapped by my stepmother. The year before _that_ , my vice principal tried to kidnap my sister and me, _we_ got dragged into the family issues, and my sister was killed. And the year before _that_ —well, sort of—Grandfather got unexpectedly sent to America and couldn't spend Christmas with us. Never got to spend Christmas with him ever again, for that matter."

"And so now you won't even _try_ to enjoy your Christmas?" Luna asked quietly, looking dejected.

"Of course I'll _try_ , just not with you."

"If you didn't want to come, you could have just said so," Luna murmured, sounding hurt. She rapidly walked back to the castle.

Nico stared after her, wondering what he'd said wrong. He wanted to protect her, why would she be upset about that?

* * *

Neville and Ron never returned for Hermione, so she finished her shopping and headed back to the castle. At dinner that night, she noticed Neville and Ron shooting repeated worried looks at an oddly silent Harry. She briefly wondered if Harry had somehow snuck down to Hogsmeade, but dismissed the notion. Surely he would be looking happier if he had.

Nico seemed to be in a bad mood as well. He pushed his food around his plate, then eventually sighed and looked up at Hermione. "So…did you get the gifts for Will and Hazel?"

"Oh! Yes." Hermione reached into her bag and pulled out a set of color-changing art supplies and a singing teacup. "The colored pencils are for Hazel and the teacup is for Will. And here's the change."

"Great. Thanks." Nico stuffed the gifts into his own bag, then swallowed and glanced at the Ravenclaw table. "Have you talked to Luna today?"

"No, why?"

"We were talking earlier, then she got upset and left. I can't figure out why."

"Oh." Hermione also glanced at the Ravenclaw table. "Did you mention Will?"

"Of course not." Nico frowned, suddenly anxious. "You think she has a problem with…with people like me?"

"No!" Hermione exclaimed hurriedly. "No, I don't think she has a problem with people like you. Though, I think she might be upset to learn about you specifically…"

"So you _do_ think she'd have a problem with it," Nico said flatly and rather tonelessly.

"That's not what I said!" Hermione objected.

"That's _exactly_ what you just said!" Nico retorted.

"No, I just mean…" Hermione trailed off, hesitating. Should she explain herself? She didn't think it was her place to reveal Luna's crush, and besides, Nico would probably manage to find the world's most tactless way to let Luna down. "Oh, forget it. You say you didn't mention Will anyway, so obviously that's not the problem."

"But you think it could become one." Nico stood up. "I'm going to bed. Happy Christmas."

* * *

Nico laid on his bed, staring at his canopy. So far, he hadn't had any unexpected changes to his Christmas plans, but the holidays certainly weren't off to a good start. Why did people have to be so complicated? Why couldn't he just be normal?

The door opened and Harry walked in. Nico idly listened to the sounds of Harry rummaging in his bedside cabinet, then Harry climbed into bed and pulled his hangings shut. A few minutes later, he re-emerged, holding a photo album. For some reason, he glared at Nico. "Did you know?"

"Did I know what?" Nico replied, disinterested.

"Did you know my parents died because my dad's best friend _sold them out to Voldemort?!_ "

Nico sat up and stared at Harry. "Why would you think I knew that?"

"First Flamel, then Quirrell, then Riddle…you seem to know everything before I do," Harry grumbled.

"All I know about your parents is that You-Know-Who killed them…hang on." Nico suddenly remembered his vision from after the Quidditch match. "Were their names James and Lily?"

"Yes," Harry confirmed, giving Nico a suspicious look.

"Was their traitorous friend Sirius Black?"

"So you _did_ know!" Harry cried accusingly.

"No, I didn't, I only just figured that out," Nico said crossly. "Do you know anyone named Wormtail?"

Harry looked both surprised and baffled by this line of questioning. "As in, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs?"

"As in…Padfoot?" Nico repeated in surprise. That sounded somewhat like an English translation of 'Felpato'. Which was entirely irrelevant right now. "Never mind. I don't know any of those other names. I think Wormtail has something to do with Black blowing up all those people, I just don't know what."

"What gives you _that_ idea?"

Nico laid back down and rolled over so that his back was to Harry. "Doesn't matter. I don't know anything else about your parents. Good night."

* * *

In the morning, all the other Gryffindors except Harry and Ron had left for the holidays. Nico sent off the gifts for Hazel and Will, then pondered the issue of Hermione's gift. No doubt she would like a book. Getting one, however, would be difficult.

A few days later, it was a house elf named Dobby who provided the solution. He suggested Nico look through the library for a book Hermione would like, then owl order a copy for her. Nico spent about five minutes staring at swirling letters, then called for Dobby and asked for some non-dyslexic help. Once the book had finally been selected, Nico gave Dobby a sock in thanks. He didn't quite understand why Dobby only wanted one, but Hazel had made him pack far too many anyway.

With Hermione's gift taken care of, Nico found himself pondering the Luna problem. Looking back on it now, he realized Hermione was right—he hadn't so much as alluded to Will, so obviously Luna had been upset by something else. And even if she disliked people like him in general, maybe he could get her to the point where she'd make an exception for him. After all, she'd seen him _shadow-travel_ and she hadn't even been fazed. He decided that for once, he wasn't going to accept rejection so easily.

Nico figured that the easiest place to start would be by getting Luna a Christmas gift too. Thinking of all the bizarre jewelry he'd seen her wear, he decided to try to make her a bracelet out of thestral hair. He hoped she wasn't too keen on high-quality craftsmanship—he was horrible at weaving. Still, he ended up with a roughly wrist-sized loop, so he decided that was good enough and sent it off, along with a note wishing her a happy Christmas.

* * *

Christmas morning finally came, and Nico still hadn't suffered any unexpected changes to his plans. However, he woke up to something…odd. There seemed to be a heavy aura of death around him. Had he been transported to a graveyard?

Nico opened his eyes and saw something far worse than a graveyard. Skulls had been artfully hung all over his bed and his sleeping area. A quick examination confirmed his suspicions—medieval monk skulls. "Father!" he complained aloud, holding up a skull. "You want me to fit in with modern teenagers? _Not! Helping!_ "

The skulls winked out of existence. Moments later, a rare Mythomagic deck appeared out of thin air and fell onto a pile of wrapped presents. "Uh…thanks," Nico said, deciding not to point out that he hadn't played Mythomagic in years.

"Why are you shouting at your father?" Ron mumbled sleepily.

"Gift-giving is decidedly not his specialty," Nico grumbled.

Ron suddenly sat upright. "Gifts!" He threw his pillow at Harry. "Oi! Wake up! Presents!"

A hand reached out from Harry's bed hangings and grabbed his glasses. Nico returned his attention to his own pile of gifts, which was rather larger than he'd expected. Hermione had sent him a small pouch of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. Neville had sent him a set of Gobstones. Will had sent him a tin of Christmas cookies and a toy skull that kept spouting off rhyming couplets (Nico quickly placed a silencing charm on that). Hazel had sent him a hand-knitted black sweater and a cat toy for Vescia. Reyna had sent him three new canteens of unicorn draught and a box of hot chocolate. Jason had sent him a rainbow-colored skull-shaped pin, along with a note explaining the rainbow symbolism and promising that he didn't expect Nico to start wearing it right away (symbolism or not, Nico thought the pin was far too colorful for his tastes). Coach Hedge had sent a baseball bat, several bottles of Gatorade and a photo of baby Chuck. And at the bottom of the pile was a short note in unfamiliar handwriting that didn't seem to belong to any of the gifts.

Nico picked up the note and spent several minutes deciphering it. It said "Go to the statue of the one-eyed witch in the third-floor corridor. Tap the statue with your wand and say ' _Dissendium_ '." There was nothing else. No name, no signature, nothing at all to indicate who had sent the note. Nico figured it was probably some sort of trap. Although…if it _was_ a trap, whoever had sent it probably wouldn't leave him alone until he dealt with them. So, he made up his mind to investigate.

A crash startled Nico into looking up—Vescia had chased her new toy straight into Harry's trunk. The trunk tipped over and something fell out. It looked like a glowing glass spinning top, which whirled and made a high-pitched whistling noise. Vescia stared at the top, her fur standing on end.

"What is _that_?" Nico demanded, curious in spite of himself.

"Pocket Sneakoscope," Harry replied. "Supposed to light up if there's someone untrustworthy around…" He tried to pick up the Sneakoscope, but Vescia growled and snapped at him. "Will you get your cat already?!"

Nico picked up Vescia and her toy. "So, uh…why's it lighting up, then?"

"I don't know." Harry narrowed his eyes at Nico. "Do _you_?"

"No, I don't, that's why I asked." Nico looked around the room. "How did the presents get in here, anyway?"

Ron shrugged. "The house elves bring them."

"Hmm. Well, I've got an anonymous note that's probably trying to lure me into a trap, so maybe that's it." Nico turned around and returned to his bed to get dressed.

"Paranoid much?" Ron muttered. "Seriously Harry, can I have a go on that broom?"

"Course you can," Harry promised. "I still don't believe it…a _Firebolt_ …"

Nico ignored them, double checking that he had his ring and wand. Prepared for traps, he left the dormitory.

* * *

Once Nico found the statue from the note, he put his wand in his left hand and kept his right hand ready to summon his sword. Cautiously, he followed the note's instructions. A hole opened in the back of the statue, but nothing jumped out at him. He warily looked into the hole. It appeared to be the top of a slide. Keeping his ring poised to transform, Nico climbed into the hole and let himself slide down the chute.

At the bottom, he found himself in a narrow, earthy passageway. He looked around for potential attackers, but the passage was completely empty. Increasingly curious now, Nico decided to follow the passage and see where it went.

* * *

The passage twisted and turned for what felt like forever. Eventually, the passage rose and Nico came to the foot of a set of worn stone steps. He climbed and climbed until finally he reached a trap door. He opened it and found himself in a dusty cellar that was full of wooden crates and boxes. Upon inspection, Nico discovered that the boxes were full of candy. In fact…some of these looked like the Honeydukes sweets that Hermione and Neville had previously brought back from Hogsmeade.

Could this be the cellar of Honeydukes? Nico was fairly certain he'd walked far enough to reach Hogsmeade. Spotting a wooden staircase, he climbed it and opened the door at the top. The room beyond was clearly a candy shop, though it was presently dark and empty. Presumably, the place was closed for Christmas.

So, the mysterious note-writer had given him a dementor-free route to Hogsmeade. Nico still had no idea who had sent it or why, but he was starting to think maybe this wasn't a trap after all. He resolved to come back later when businesses were open so that he could buy gifts for all the people he hadn't thought to shop for.

* * *

When Nico went to the Great Hall for Christmas dinner, the house tables had been moved to the side of the room and a single table for twelve had been set up in the middle. "Happy Christmas!" Dumbledore called cheerfully. "As there are so few of us, it seemed foolish to use the house tables…sit down, sit down!"

Nico reluctantly sat, mildly annoyed that he was expected to share Christmas dinner with a handful of teachers and classmates to whom he rarely spoke. Then again, two years ago he'd had Christmas with his father and stepmother, and _that_ was an experience he had no intention of ever repeating. It was a wonder he'd made it through the holiday without a repeat of the dandelion incident.

A loud bang startled Nico out of his thoughts. Snape was now holding a ridiculous-looking hat that seemed to have come out of nowhere. His lips thinned and he shoved the hat toward Dumbledore, who happily donned it. "Dig in!" Dumbledore advised.

Nico began helping himself to roast beef. In the center of the table, he noticed a pile of silver…things. "What are those?" he quietly asked Professor McGonagall.

"Those are Christmas crackers," Professor McGonagall answered, sounding surprised. "You've never seen them before?"

"We don't have those in Italy," Nico replied. "So, do you…eat them?"

Professor McGonagall laughed, then quickly stopped and covered her mouth. "Sorry. But…goodness, no. Here, let me show you." She picked up a cracker. "Now, take one end and pull."

Nico obeyed. There was another loud bang, and the cracker exploded to reveal a sleek top hat and several white mice. Two of the mice bit Nico before running away. "Ow," he complained.

"Sorry," Professor McGonagall replied, clearly fighting amusement. "They don't usually contain animals. Would you like to try another?"

"I think I'll pass." Nico reached for the potatoes instead.

At that moment, the door opened to admit a woman in a glittering green dress and very large spectacles. Dumbledore stood up to greet her, and Nico's stomach gave an odd lurch. The woman (apparently the Divination teacher, Professor Trelawney) had come to join them, but when Dumbledore conjured a chair for her, she suddenly uttered a soft shriek. "I dare not, Headmaster! If I join the table, we shall be thirteen! Nothing could be more unlucky! Never forget that when thirteen dine together, the first to rise will be the first to die!"

"We'll risk it, Sybill," Professor McGonagall said impatiently. "Do sit down, the turkey's getting stone cold."

"Um…" Nico mumbled uncomfortably. He knew that Professor Trelawney was right, but if nobody believed the Divination teacher, why would they believe _him_? He had just made up his mind to leave when Professor Trelawney sat down. Too late now.

"Tripe, Sybill?" Professor McGonagall offered.

Professor Trelawney ignored her, choosing instead to comment on Professor Lupin's absence (apparently the man was ill again). Nico dug into his food, uninterested in conversation. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ron feeding some of his dinner to a very ill-looking Scabbers.

Eventually, Professor McGonagall tried to draw Nico into conversation again. "So, I take it you've never celebrated Christmas in Britain before?"

Nico shook his head. "Celebrated it in Italy, but I haven't really done much for Christmas these past few years in America. It was always a big family celebration in Italy, and, well…ever since my mother died, I haven't had any contact with my Italian relatives."

"That's the non-violent side of your family?" Professor McGonagall queried.

"Yeah. Comparatively. There _was_ one Christmas when Mamma tried to stab Uncle Flavio with a salad knife…"

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips. "It's a wonder you survived long enough to attend Hogwarts."

Nico shrugged. "After that year, they always made sure to send us children up to bed before bringing out the wine."

"And a good thing too, from the sound of it." Professor McGonagall shook her head. "Stabbings at Christmas…"

As the meal went on, Professor McGonagall continued asking Nico questions about Christmas in Italy. Nico answered, surprised to realize just how many stories he had. He hadn't thought about his extended mortal family in a long time.

By the end of the meal, Nico had become so absorbed in distant memories that he forgot there were thirteen people at the table. He and Harry stood up to leave at roughly the same time, and Professor Trelawney shrieked. "My dears! Which of you left his seat first? Which?!"

Harry and Nico shared a glance. "Uh, I think I did," Nico answered, grimacing.

Professor McGonagall glared at Professor Trelawney. "I doubt it will make much difference, unless a mad axe-man is waiting outside the doors to slaughter the first into the entrance hall."

Everyone but Nico and Professor Trelawney laughed. "Knowing my luck, there probably is," Nico muttered. He cautiously looked around the door before exiting the Great Hall. Thankfully, the entrance hall was free of mad axe-men.

Nico walked upstairs, cursing himself for forgetting about the Thirteen Diners rule. And yet…oddly, he didn't feel as strong a sense of foreboding as he would have expected. In fact, he had the strangest feeling that there had been thirteen people at the table _before_ Professor Trelawney arrived.

* * *

 **A/N: Sadly, that's all I've got for now. I intend to at least finish _Prisoner of Azkaban_ , but life has gotten very busy and I have no ETA for it. And before you all try to murder me, remember that I can't finish PoA if I'm dead.**


End file.
